Jennifer Lawrence to play last woman executed in Iceland for Call Me By My Name director's new film

An intriguing new film project sees Jennifer Lawrence collaborating with Luca Guadagnino, the director of the acclaimed romance Call Me By My Name, on an adaptation of the award-winning book Burial Rites.

Hannah Kent's debut novel tells the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death by hanging for the murder of two men, one of whom employed her. Set in the first half of the 19th century, Burial Rites paints a brutally bleak picture of life as a working class woman living in Iceland under draconian law.

Lawrence will play Magnúsdóttir, according to Variety, as well as produce the film. The plot sticks to that of Kent's novel, following Magnúsdóttir's final few months as she awaits her death sentence in the home of a strange family. 

Guadagnino's Call Me by Your Name is an Oscars favourite after collecting three Golden Globe nominations earlier this week. The Italian director has also directed A Bigger Splash and I Am Love.