Margot Robbie and Christian Bale cast in next film from American Hustle director

The director has previously collaborated with Bale on The Fighter and American Hustle, but hasn't made a feature film since 2015's Joy starring Jennifer Lawrence.

This high profile return to the screen is an original story dreamt up by Russell, with plot details a tightly guarded secret at the time of writing and no release date just yet.

However, there's every chance the film could go on to be an awards contender when it eventually lands in cinemas, given the calibre of talent behind it.

Russell has five Oscar nods to his name for directing and screenwriting already, while Bale won in 2011 for his performance in The Fighter and has been nominated three times since.

Robbie was a major player on the awards circuit this year after giving an acclaimed performance in the FOX News factual drama Bombshell, where she starred opposite Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman.

Expect more cast and story details to emerge over the coming months as the start of production approaches.

Bale has also been circling Taika Waititi's next Thor movie recently, where it is rumoured he could play an intergalactic villain opposite Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman.