Alex Russell joins Angelina Jolie's 'Unbroken'

Alex Russell has signed up to star in Angelina Jolie's upcoming World War II movie, Unbroken.

The Carrie actor will star alongside Jack O'Connell in the film which tells the story of second world war airman Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic athlete who survived a crash in the Pacific during combat with Japan in 1943. He was held in a prisoner of war camp for three years before returning to the US at the end of the war.

[Jolie's Unbroken to film in Oz]

Inside Film reports that Russell will play Louis's brother Pete, who inspired his sibling's athletic career.

Harry Potter actor Domhnall Gleeson also stars in the film as war hero Russell Allen Phillips.

The actor recently revealed that he's lost a lot of weight for the role, telling WENN: "I've gotten almost where I need to be; I've lost a lot.

"I kind of feel if I hadn't lost the weight we would have found a way around it, so this is a choice I made to be more authentic."

He added: "It takes place on a raft and I start in two and a half weeks in Australia. I'm really looking forward to it."

[Hedlund takes an Unbroken role]

The screenplay, based on Laura Hillenbrand's novel Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, was penned by Joel Cohen, Ethan Coen and Richard LaGravenese.

Garrett Hedlund and Finn Wittrock also star in the film, which is expected to start production later this month in Australia.

Russell will next be seen in the upcoming Carrie remake. Check out the trailer below: