Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens to co-star with Anne Hathaway in sci-fi movie Colossal

The Guest's Dan Stevens has been cast opposite lead actress Anne Hathaway in the upcoming monster movie, Colossal, according to Empire. As well as Stevens and Hathaway, the movie will also feature Whiplash star Austin Stowell, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Tim Blake Nelson and Horrible Bosses' Jason Sudeikis.

The film, which is being described as "Godzilla meets Being John Malkovich," sees Hathaway play a young woman called Gloria, who decides to move back to her hometown after losing her job and being dumped by her boyfriend (Stevens), in the hopes that it will lift her spirits. However, soon after she arrives back there, she learns that she has developed a weird connection to a giant creature that has manifested over Seoul and is rapidly destroying the city.

In the absence of his ex, Steven's currently unnamed character realises he wants her back but now has to compete with a gargantuan lizard that she believes is being controlled by aspects of her mental breakdown. Sounds completely bizarre, but yet somehow incredibly intriguing at the same time - especially given the acting calibre of both Hathaway and Stevens at the movie's forefront.

Spanish writer-and-director Nacho Vigalondo has already kicked off filming in Vancouver, Canada, ahead of its scheduled 2016 US release date, so it looks like everything is going ahead swiftly, despite the project being hit with a major lawsuit by Godzilla creators Toho back in May of this year. The Japanese company launched a formal complaint against Voltage Pictures when news of the movie began to surface, claiming that they were dabbling in copyright and trademark infringement.

According to the report, Colossal's filmmakers "are brazenly producing, advertising, and selling an unauthorized Godzilla film of their own." The statement also added, "Toho is informed and believes, and based thereon alleges, that Defendants have knowingly used the Godzilla Character to attract interest and attention in their Colossal project so that it would stand out in a crowded field of competitors on the film sales circuit."