Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Helen Hunt have signed on to lead the cast of the new drama, Lucca Mortis, Variety is reporting. The movie, which has started shooting in the Tuscan city of Lucca, is being directed by Peter Greenaway, who’s one of Britain’s leading and most acclaimed auteurs.

The new project by the iconoclastic British filmmaker and artist – who’s known for such arthouse hits as The Draughtsman’s Contract; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and The Pillow Book – tells the story of Jacob, a New York writer, who’s played by Hoffman. Following the attack on the Twin Towers in New York in 2001, the protagonist takes a sabbatical to visit the titular Lucca in search of his distant Italian origins.

Lucca Mortis creates a parallelism between the Twin Towers and the towers of Lucca, according to the Tuscany Film Commission website. Tuscany Film Commission head Stefania Ippoliti said production on the feature began earlier this month in Lucca, which is known for its medieval walls and towers.

The Emmy-winning Hoffman is expected to arrive on the drama’s set “after the holidays.” More than 500 local extras are expected to work on the movie’s set during the shoot. Other details, including what role Hunt will play in the film, have not yet been revealed.

Lucca Mortis has a roughly €15 million budget ($16 million), according to the commission. Greenaway’s longstanding interest in architecture seems vital to his latest project; the drama will be shot in 25 locations throughout Lucca, including both exteriors and interiors, some of which are in private historic buildings.

The movie is being produced by Facing East, the production and financing company formed by The Revenant producers Markus Barmettler and Philip Lee. The company now has offices in Singapore, Los Angeles, Dublin, London, and Zurich.

Last month, Greenaway received a special tribute at Amsterdam’s documentary film festival, IDFA.Check out more of Karen Benardello’s articles.