Jonah Hauer-King to star in The Eden Express

Jonah Hauer-King has been cast in 'The Eden Express'.

The 29-year-old actor will play a troubled man attempting to find a new world in the picture that is being written and directed by Daniel Cockburn.

Jonah stars in the lead role of Mark Vonnegut, the son of the sci-fi author Kurt Vonnegut, as he – alongside his girlfriend Virge and a group of friends – begins a quest to escape 1970s America for a better way of life in a British Columbia commune.

The group hope to find a new "Eden" on Earth but as their utopia comes into focus, Mark begins to hear voices and see visions that give him instructions – marking the start of his journey with bipolar disorder.

'The Eden Express' is based on Mark's memoir of the same name and additional casting is underway on the project.

Hauer-King previously starred in the live-action remake of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' as Prince Eric and described how he and his co-star Halle Bailey, who played Ariel, bonded over their shared experiences while making the movie.

He said: "We were both experiencing something very new, doing a film like this.

"She obviously had vast experience in the music world, much more than I did, and I've probably done a few more acting gigs than she had, but in terms of doing a film like this, there was nothing that really could have prepared us."

Jonah also described how he went through a demanding three months of rehearsals where he learned to row, ride horses and scuba dive.

He said: "I've never done so much training in my life."