Marion Cotillard joins Macbeth alongside Michael Fassbender

According to Deadline, Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone, The Dark Knight Rises) has signed on to appear as Lady Macbeth alongside Michael Fassbender's (Shame, X-Men: Days of Future Past) Scottish nobleman in director Justin Kurzel's (Snowtown) forthcoming adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

The French actress replaces Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Thor: The Dark World) in the role of the scheming Lady Macbeth, who convinces her husband to commit regicide in order to sieze the throne.

The latest screen version of Shakespeare's classic tragedy is being produced by Film4 and See-Saw Films, the production company behind Shame and The King's Speech, and is set to begin filming early next year.