Washington, Jan 6 : Actress Keira Knightley has been signed on to star in period drama `The Beautiful and the Damned', it has emerged.

American film director John Curran has replaced Nick Cassavetes to helm the project.

Knightley will play the role of Zelda Sayre, reports the Variety.

The film revolves concerns the turbulent marriage of alcoholic writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his mercurial wife Zelda Sayre, who was schizophrenic.

The tempestuous relationship, which unfolded in the high society of the Roaring ''20s, inspired some of the novelist''s works. (ANI)