Lily James joins Dig

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Lily James has joined the cast of 'Dig'.

The 30-year-old actress is set to join previously announced stars Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes in the period drama, which is being set up at Netflix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Simon Stone has been lined up to direct the feature, with Gabrielle Tana producing.

'Dig' is based on a true story set at the turn of World War II, and focuses on a widow (Mulligan) with a hunch that her land contains buried riches, and who turns property into an archeological site when she discovers her hunch is correct.

Mulligan is starring as the widow, Edith Pretty, while Fiennes is Basil Brown, a local archeologist who works with her only to see himself pushed aside by museum curators.

James will play an archeological student named Peggy Preston, who becomes disillusioned by the many domineering men who are working at the dig, but finds friendship with Pretty and Brown.

The film is believed to start shooting in early 2020, but as of the time of writing there is no release date confirmed.

Lily James is no stranger to period dramas, having had her breakout role in TV show 'Downton Abbey', as well as holding roles in 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', 'War & Peace', and 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'.

But earlier this year, Lily - who is also known for her roles in 'Cinderella' and 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' - admitted she was keen to shed the "blonde, sweet" image.

She said: "'Cinderella' was a gift, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

"But I wore a dress for the 'Mamma Mia!' premiere that was blue and white and quite pouffy, and when I got out on the red carpet, all anyone said was 'Oh it's Cinderella!'

"It's a happy association, but also something that you want to shed at some point ...

"The blonde, sweet thing is so not me ... I'm actively seeking characters from now on that are different, who don't rely on charm or the qualities that I think I've explored quite a lot."