'Harry Potter' actor Tom Felton, Kate Mara to star in indie war drama

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Fans of Tom Felton will have to add another film in their to-see list, as the 28-year-old English actor has joined the cast of a yet-untitled independent biopic starring Fantastic Four and House of Cards' Kate Mara. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Felton will play a veteran dog handler along side Mara, who plays Marine Megan Leavey.

Deadline reports that the film follows the story of Iraq war hero Leavey, who was a former member of a K9 bomb sniffing unit, and her combat dog, Rex, with whom she served two tours in Iraq and completed over 100 missions. The two were wounded in an explosion in 2006, but recovered successfully. Leavey was awarded a purple heart and was discharged from the Marines, while Rex continued to serve his country for several years. When Rex was to be euthanized, Leavey fought to save the dog and adopt him instead, and was able to care for him until his passing in 2012.

Rex's adoption gained media attention in 2012 when she made an online petition to help her adopt Rex. Her campaign was supported by veteran groups and Senator Charles Schumer, ABC News reported.

The drama biopic will be directed by the highly acclaimed Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who helmed the documentary Blackfish about animal captivity for entertainment. She said in an interview with L.A. Weekly about the controversial topic upon which the film was based, "I want to continue to find my own ideas and nurture them. I would prefer to work on projects I feel strongly about and do them with an independent spirit. It's much more gratifying as a filmmaker to be able to piss someone off and not have a corporation be able to tell you what you can and cannot say."

The film will also star Edie Falco as Mara's on screen mother, and will be shot in locations in Spain, South Carolina, and New York.

Felton's post-Harry Potter projects include From the Rough with Empire's Taraji P. Henson, the 2013 film Belle, and Against the Sun with Garret Dillahunt and Jake Abel.

Felton is also off to shoot A United Kingdom, Variety reports. The film is written by BAFTA award winning scriptwriter Guy Hibber and is to be co-produced by star David Oyelowo and Star Wars producer Rick McCallum, The Help producer Brunson Green, Justin Moore-Lewy and Charlie Mason.

A United Kingdom follows the story of Seretse Khama (Oyelowo), chief of the Bamangwato tribe in the British colony of Bechuanaland in the late 1940s, and Ruth Williams (Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike) as their interracial love story unfolds and exposes the racism of the British government. A British Kingdom is directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Amma Asante.