John Malkovich has joined the cast of Claude Lelouch's next film, And Now Ladies And Gentlemen (aka T For Thriller), which will also mark the big-screen debut of French singer Patricia Kass.

Malkovich - who has lately been seen in several French productions, including Manuel de Oliviera's La Lettre, Raoul Ruiz's Le Temps Retrouve and most recently in TF1's high-budget mini-series Les Miserables - replaces Dustin Hoffman.

Additional cast include Lelouch's life partner Alessandra Martinez as well as Yvan Attal and Francis Huster.

The title - a thriller which mixes romance and musical numbers in typical Lelouch style - is to start shooting as of early April in the UK, US, France and Morocco for two months.

The musical score, which is to play a prominent role in the film, is to be created by Academy Award-winning composers Michel Legrand and Francis Lai, with lyrics by Boris Bergman.