Milos Forman will strike up principal photography on his $36million (Euros 29m) historical drama Goya's Ghostsstarring Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard on September 5in Spain.

The highly-anticipatedbiopic marks the reunion of Forman with his OneFlew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus producer Saul Zaentz. Ghosts willshoot entirely on location in Spainfor 15 weeks.

Scriptwriter Jean Claude Carriere collaborated with Forman on the screenplay, whichis set in Spainbetween 1792 and 1809, a time of great political upheaval characterized by theSpanish Inquisition and the Napoleonic wars.

Bardem plays Brother Lorenzo, a key force within theInquisition. Portman is Goya's teenage muse, Ines, who becomes involved with Lorenzo when she is falselyaccused and imprisoned for heresy. Skarsgard playsthe Spanish painter Goya, through whose eyes we witness the drama.

Randy Quaid,Michael Lonsdale and Jose Luis Gomez lead the supporting cast. Paul Zaentz is executive producing while Denise O'Dell and Mark Albela, partners in Spain's KanZaman,will take co-producer credits through their newly-launched XuxaProducciones.

London's HanWay Films signed onat Cannes forinternational sales.