class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-4365″ style=”margin: 10px;” title=”the kings speech” src=”https://www.heyuguys.com/images/2009/11/the-kings-speech.jpg” alt=”the kings speech” width=”220″ height=”150″ />You may not have heard the name Tom Hooper but you’ll know his work.

Cutting his teeth on UK TV with Prime Suspect, EastEnders (and Byker Grove…) Hooper made the leap to work on a broader canvas with the epic HBO serials Longford and John Adams and whose recent work, The Damned United, made great use of Michael Sheen’s uncanny ability to embody larger than life characters.

His next project is The King’s Speech, a character piece which tells the story of King George IV’s relationship with a speech therapist as he fights to lose his nervous stammer and live up to his royal duty. Hooper continues to work with talented actors and the key roles here are taken by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush as the King and therapist respectively.

Tonight we’ve learned from The Hollywood Reporter that the project has attracted a very interesting cast with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce joining the cast. Another intriguing addition to the cast is Jennifer Elhe who, with Firth, enthralled a nation in the early nineties as Lizzie and Mr. Darcy in the BBC’s definitive adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

With a cast as accomplished as this Hooper looks to build on his growing reputation for finding a human side to historically significant events, and The King’s Speech will certainly be one to watch.

The film, currently shooting in England, will be released in 2010.