Bonneville’s film role tackles Jerusalem divide

Hugh Bonneville is to play a journalist in a new film set in Jerusalem and billed as “a story of redemption”.

The former Downton Abbey star has been cast in The Rock Pile, which begins filming in Israel and New York later this year.

Bonneville will portray a Time war correspondent who befriends three boys of different faiths.

He said of The Rock Pile: “There has never been a greater need for understanding between nations, creeds and cultures than now.

“From the moment I first read The Rock Pile I felt buoyed by its tolerance and understanding. It’s a story that doesn’t take sides.”