Hayden Christensen is moving from being the fantastical Dark Lord of the Sith to defending one of the real world dark lords, as the young actor joins the production of Beast of Bataan as both actor and producer.

Based on the book A Trial of Generals, the story takes place after the 1942 “Bataan Death March,” where tens of thousands PoWs were led on a forced march across the Phillippines. The General responsible for the forced march, Masaharu Homma, was later implicated in the deaths of thousands of prisoners and put on trial. Christensen will play the General’s young lawyer on his first case, with the death penalty hanging on the outcome of the trial.

Christensen is the only name solidly attached to the picture, although several others are being mentioned. Babel’s Koji Yakusho is currently in negotiations to play General Homma, while Willem Dafoe and William Hurt are also in talks to join the picture.

Christensen’s production company, Forest Park Pictures, becomes part of the production force behind the movie, which is aiming to start filming in February according to The Hollywood Reporter.