Michael Pitt, Eva Green and Louis Garrel will star in Bernardo Bertolucci's next film, The Dreamers, producer Jeremy Thomas announced on Wednesday.

Newcomers Green and Garrel play a brother and sister in Paris in 1968 who invite a young American played by Pitt to stay. Set against the turbulent political backdrop of France in spring 1968, they experiment each other's emotions and sexuality.

'It's an intimate and intriguing story of relationships,' said Bertolucci. 'We've cast three young actors in the film, all of whom possess the innocence, mystery and arrogant beauty of their age. What interests me is to see how they bring their own questing energy and idealism to these characters from 1968.'

The film will be Bertolucci's third to be shot on location in central Paris, returning to similar themes of the sexually-charged Last Tango In Paris. Principal photography starts July 18.

'The Dreamers is not a film about the 1968 Paris riots, but about a youthful idealism that inspired them,' Thomas said.

Fox Searchlight has acquired the film in all English-language territories and Latin American. Medusa will distribute in Italy, Lauren Film in Spain and Nippon Herald in Japan.

The film is set up as a co-production between Thomas' UK-based Recorded Picture Company, Fiction Films in Italy and Peninsula Films in France. International sales are being handled by UK-based Hanway, an offshoot of Recorded.

The script is by Gilbert Adair, while Fabio Cianchetti is director of photography, Jean Rabasse production designer and Louise Stjernsward costume designer.