Billy Connolly is joining Tom Cruise and Timothy Spall in the 19th century epic, The Last Samurai.

Cruise will play American soldier Nathan Algren, who is recruited to train the Japanese army to fight against the samurai.

He is subsequently captured by the warriors and ends up siding with them.
Connolly will play Algren's friend who was injured during the war and now has a limp.

Filming begins in New Zealand later this year.

Source: Press Release