Los Angeles, March 7 (Reuters): Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Claire Danes have signed on to star in Stardust, an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel.

The Paramount Pictures project centres on Tristian (Charlie Cox), who, in order to win the heart of his beloved (Sienna Miller), promises to fetch a falling star named Yvaine (Danes).

This sets in motion an adventure in which Tristian and Yvaine must face off against a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (De Niro) and an evil witch (Pfeiffer).

The film’s director, Matthew Vaughn, and Gaiman are long-time friends, and Vaughn had been slowly developing Stardust as something he would do in the far-off future. When he exited X-Men 3 in June, he decided to tackle Stardust. Filming begins next month in the UK and Iceland.

De Niro is also working on a film with Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon called The Good Shepherd. De Niro is directing the film and the project marks the return of Joe Pesci who has a small role in the film.