Natalie Portman, Nicholas Hoult join The Death and Life of John F. Donovan

Natalie Portman and Nicholas Hoult have joined the cast of 'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan'.

The 'Black Swan' actress and 'X-Men: First Class' actor have joined a star-studded cast which already includes Jessica Chastain, Kathy Bates, Susan Sarandon and Taylor Kitch, alongside 'Game of Thrones' hunk Kit Harington in the title role.

The movie follows a TV star whose career is destroyed when people begin making assumptions about his pen-pal relationship with an 11-year-old fan living in England.

Ten years after the actor's fall from grace, his young pal revisits their relationship in an interview.

Jessica plays the gossip columnist who exposes the correspondence, while Susan is reportedly Donovan's mother and Kathy his manager.

It has not yet been explained what roles will be played by the newcomers to the cast.

'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' is 26-year-old director Xavier Dolan's seventh movie, but his first in the English language.

Natalie can next be seen on the big screen in the long-delayed Western 'Jane Got a Gun', which is slated for release on May 20.

And Nicholas reprises his role as Beast in 'X-Men: Apolcalypse', which is released a day earlier on May 19.