Hand Picked Films' Michel Shane and Anthony Romano and financier Carlos Melcer have boarded the musical biopic Vivaldi, which is set to star Joseph Fiennes.

Shane and Romano, whose executive producer credits include I, Robot and Catch Me If You Can, will produce alongside Boris Damast and Andrea Kikot of Mechaniks, and will also finance.

Melcer will serve as executive producer along with Ampersand Management Group. Hand Picked Films is overseeing distribution.

Principal photography is set to begin this spring in Venice and Vienna. Malcolm McDowell, Lena Headey, Jacqueline Bisset, Gerard Depardieu and Elle Fanning round out the cast.

Damast is directing from a screenplay by Jeffrey Freedman that charts the 18th century composer's rise from humble origins as a young priest and also music teacher to the illegitimate daughters of Venetian courtesans.

'Vivaldi is an emotionally engaging film that will captivate audiences on several fronts,' Shane said. 'It all stems from a terrific screenplay that attracted a brilliant cast. We're eager to move forward with the film this spring.'

Hand Picked Films' roster includes the epic biopic Buddha in association with M Films and a biopic about Sweetwater Clifton, the first black basketball player to enter the NBA.