Tom Hiddleston to portray Sir Edmund Hillary in upcoming drama Tenzing

Tom Hiddleston will play famed New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary in a biographical drama about Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

A search is currently underway to cast the lead role of Norgay, who accompanied Hillary on the first successful ascent of Mount Everest in May 1953.

Tenzing will also star Willem Dafoe as Colonel John Hunt, the leader of the British expedition up the world's highest mountain.

Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, who previously directed documentaries including Sherpa, Miracle on Everest, and Mountain, is making the feature, having been given the exclusive rights to Norgay's story by his family.

"I could not be more thrilled to be bringing Tenzing Norgay's story to the screen," she said in a statement to Deadline. "I've been working towards this film my whole career, and I'm incredibly grateful to Tenzing's family for entrusting me with it.

"Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe are two of the most generous and talented actors in the business, so pairing them with our brilliant Himalayan cast is going to be electric. I have no doubt this film will resonate widely. We all have our own mountains to climb, and this film shows us what human beings are truly capable of."

Peedom will also produce the project alongside Luke Davies, who wrote the screenplay. The film will be executive produced by the Nepalese-Indian mountaineer's son, Norbu Tenzing Norgay.

"Jen is somebody who has earned the respect of our people, understands the community, and is deeply immersed in our culture," he added. "She's a great human being and someone that we trust, and she has had a lifelong interest in the story of my father Tenzing Norgay. I am delighted that she has taken on this project and can't wait for the world to see who my father was."

Norgay died in 1986, while Hillary passed away in 2008.