Throughout the Millenium, Andy Serkis has built up a strong cinematic CV through his motion-capture performances despite lacking the starpower of the usual Hollywood heavyweights.

But the British star of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03), King Kong (2005), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and the Planet of the Apes prequels (2011-17) is stepping behind the camera for his directional debut which focuses on the story of one man’s struggle with a terrible illness.

Entitled Breathe, the film pairs up two of Britain’s most consistent actors in Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Hacksaw Ridge) and Golden Globe winner Claire Foy (Wolf Hall, The Crown) and the official trailer can now be seen below.

Set in the late 1950s, the emotional-looking biopic centres on the true story of Robin Cavendish (Garfield), a handsome and adventurous man whose life would take a tragic turn when he would become paralyzed from polio. But through the loving support of his wife Diana (Foy), Robin would eventually come to terms with his disability and become an advocate for the rights of disabled people.

Garfield and Foy are joined in the film’s cast by Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington), Diana Rigg (The Avengers, Game of Thrones), Tom Hollander (Rev, The Night Manager), Ed Speleers (Eragon, Downton Abbey), Dean-Charles Chapman (Before I Go to Sleep, Game of Thrones), Miranda Raison (Spooks, Spotless), Camilla Rutherford (Gosford Park, Rome), Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Divergent, Me Before You), Emily Bevan (In the Flesh, Doc Martin) and Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Gangs of New York, Game of Thrones).

Breathe will be released in the UK on October 27th.