Willie Nelson to Star in New Fantasy Adventure Movie

Country superstar Willie Nelson is returning to the silver screen. He'll play a lead role in an upcoming fantasy adventure film, Waiting for the Miracle to Come.

Written and directed by Austalian filmmaker Lian Lunson, the flick is about a young aspiring trapeze artist, played by Sophie Lowe, who finds a cryptic letter, written by her late father, directing her to a gold mine in the Californian desert. When she arrives, she meets two retired vaudeville stars, played by Nelson and acclaimed British actress Charlotte Rampling, with whom she develops a friendship.

"I wrote this script for Willie Nelson; his presence and stillness as an actor is unlike anyone else," Lunson says. "And growing up I always wanted to be Charlotte Rampling, so bringing these two icons together on screen is a dream come true for me."

U2's Bono will be writing a song for Nelson to sing for the movie's soundtrack. He is also one of the film's six executive producers.

Nelson, now 81, made his film debut in 1979, in The Electric Horseman, and since then has played roles in Honeysuckle Rose, Barbarosa, Wag the Dog and The Dukes of Hazzard, among others. In 1986, he made an especially memorable impact with Red Headed Stranger, a film based on his concept album of the same name.

Waiting for the Miracle to Come will be filmed on the same Luck, Texas, ranch set that was built for Red Headed Stranger. Production is set to begin in March.

In addition to his film work, Nelson is releasing a memoir, It's a Long Story: My Life, on May 5.

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