Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has landed the lead role in Hammer movie Woman in Black, The (2011).

Based on an adaptation of Susan Hill's best-selling novel, Radcliffe will play a young lawyer who finds himself embroiled in a ghostly hostage plot.

The script has been written by Jane Goldman, who wrote the recent box-office hit, Kick Ass. It will be directed by Eden Lake's James Watkins.

"I am incredibly excited to be part of The Woman in Black," Radcliffe said.

"Jane Goldman's script is beautifully written - both tender and terrifying in equal measure," he added.

The stage version of Susan Hill's original novel has been terrifying London theatregoers for ages, so the decision by Hammer to take it to the screen seems entirely sensible. And Radcliffe, say what you like for him, has some experience of being scared by supernatural forces.

Hammer became synonymous with the horror genre in the 1950s thanks to films like Dracula and The Mummy.Other famous Hammer films include The Curse of Frankenstein and The Curse of the Werewolf.

Shooting is due to begin in the autumn, presumably with a quick break for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 promotion, and before Radcliffe heads off to star in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying on Broadway, for which he's been taking singing and dance lessons for a couple of years now.

Source: Press Release