A British actor has beaten some Hollywood big shots to the male lead in the sequel to Basic Instinct.

David Morrissey will star opposite Sharon Stone in the follow up to the Hollywood blockbuster - his first major film role.

A host of established actors, including Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell and Gabriel Byrne, have all been linked to the role, but David is the lucky man lined up to come under Sharon's charms.

She picks up her role of Catherine Tramell - the bisexual killer with a penchant for ice-picks - 13 years after the first film launched her A-list career with the help of some pantless leg-crossing.

The sequel will see the action moving from San Francisco to London, where Morrissey will play Dr Andrew Glass, a criminal psychologiest who is apoointed by Scotland Yard to evaulate her and not surprisingly falls under her spell.

The time lapse between the two films is due to legal wrangles, but Sharon is positive about the sequel's success:

"We want to answer all those unanswered questions from the first one. The producers are putting the film together, it's a terrific script," she recently revealed.

Of late, Morrissey has appeared in the BBC2 series Blackpool and had a small part in Captain Corelli's Madolin.

Source: Press Release