Director Michael Apted has started principal photography on Amazing Grace, a feature film about antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce.

The film is a Walden Media production. Terrence Malick and Ed Pressman are producing for Sunflower Productions with Patricia Heaton and David Hunt for FourBoys Films as well as Ken Wales, Mark Cooper and Jeanney Kim.

The cast features Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rufus Sewell, Ciaran Hinds and singer Youssou N'Dour.

The screenplay was written by Steven Knight, who previously wrote Dirty Pretty Things.

The film is shooting through January 12 at various locations in the UK including Gloucester, Kent, Salisbury and Elstree Studios.

No sales or distribution deals have been struck for Amazing Grace yet.