Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes film The Dig in the UK

Ralph Fiennes and Nicole Kidman are preparing to film period feature The Dig in the UK later this year.

The feature centres on the hugely significant archaeological excavation at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk in the late 1930s.

Australian director Simon Stone will be calling the shots from a screenplay by Moira Buffini, which is an adaptation of the novel by John Preston about the discoveries made at the site and the personalities involved.

Having been in development for some time, the film is now under the wing of producer Gabrielle Tana of New York-based production company Magnolia Mae.

Fiennes is coming off the Bond 25 shoot in which he reprises his role of M, while Kidman has been working on The Undoing, a psychological thriller for HBO co-starring Hugh Grant, which she also executive produces for her company Blossom Films.

Nicole Kidman photo: Corbis Entertainment/Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images.

Helmet photo: Pixabay.