Tahar Rahim, riding high folloing his star turn in A Prophet, has joined the cast of Focus Features and Film4’s Roman Britain epic The Eagle Of The Ninth that is currently shooting in Scotland.

Focus Features and Film4 are co-financing and Focus holds worldwide rights excluding UK free TV. Kevin Macdonald directs and Duncan Kenworthy is producing through his Toledo Productions.

The Eagle Of The Ninth also stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong in the story of a young centurion who journeys to Scotland to investigate the disappearance 20 years earlier of the entire Ninth Legion in a bid to clear his father’s name.

Rahim will portray the Gaelic-speaking Seal Prince, the fearsome leader of a band of warriors who pursue the young investigator. Jeremy Brock adapted the screenplay from Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel of the same name.

The film recently concluded a six-week shoot in Hungary and is scheduled to film in Scotland until production wraps in November.

Focus senior vice-president of European production Teresa Moneo – who along with Focus Features International president of sales and distribution Alison Thompson brought the project to the company – is supervising production with Film4 head Tessa Ross.