Having stepped behind the camera for the first time in 2011 with his modern take on the Shakespeare drama Coriolanus, British actor Ralph Fiennes has returned to directing duties with his latest film, the period drama The Invisible Woman.

The Schindler’s List and Harry Potter star also takes on the lead role of renowned author Charles Dickens in the upcoming biopic which has premiered its official trailer.

Based on the book from Claire Tomalin, the film focuses on Dickens’ secret affair with young mistress Nelly Ternan and their attempts to hide the relationship up until his death.

Promising British actress Felicity Jones (Like Crazy, Hysteria) stars as Ternan with additional support coming from Fiennes’ English Patient colleague Kristin Scott Thomas (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Only God Forgives) as well as Michelle Fairley (The Others, Game of Thrones), Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop) and Joanne Scanlan (The Thick of It).

The film will be released in the UK on February 7th 2014.