Tom Hiddleston Cast As Country Legend Hank Williams In Biopic

Marvel Comics bad boy, thespian and World's Nicest Human Tom Hiddleston has been cast in the lead role for I Saw The Light, the forthcoming biopic based on the life of country-and-Western icon Hank Williams.

Hiddleston has enjoyed a swift rise in profile following his starring role as adopted Asgardian and misunderstood misanthrope Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as appearing in A-list films such as War Horse and Midnight In Paris, and has amassed a cult-like following online -- his very own army of "Hiddlestoners".

I Saw The Light, which will be directed by Marc Abraham, a veteran producer of films such as Air Force One, Spy Game, and the RoboCop and Dawn Of The Dead remakes, among several others. Curiously, his IMDb page is notably lacking in directorial credits, the sole previous entry coming from his work on 2008's Flash Of Genius, starring Greg Kinnear and Alan Alda.

Abraham also served as the film's screenwriter, basing his script off a biography of Williams written by author Colin Escott, while he will also handle production duties alongside Aaron L. Gilbert (Daydream Nation), G. Marq Roswell (Dawn Of The Dead, Rake US) and Brett Ratner (Hercules, X-Men: The Last Stand). Aussie mogul James Packer will hold the executive producer title. 

The filmmakers have secured the rights to Williams' catalogue from Sony ATV, and as a result audiences can expect to see the silken-voiced Hiddles serenading us with standards such as Your Cheatin' Heart, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry and the seminal Hey Good Lookin'.

The country legend's star shone as brightly as it did quickly, the ascendent troubadour passing away in 1959 from heart failure at age 29 after the pressures of fame and his booze-and-pill-fuelled lifestyle took their insurmountable toll.

The world of music biopics is a treacherous one, but with the high-quality team being assembled for I Saw The Light, we remain hopeful that Williams' life will be done big-screen justice yet.