Prolific Irish actor Aidan Gillen has joined the cast of Dance First, the upcoming Samuel Beckett biopic directed by Oscar-winner James Marsh. So far, Venice Film Festival anointed Best Actress Sandrine Bonnaire and Golden Globe winning actor Gabriel Byrne have also been announced for the film.

Set to begin shooting on May 30 in Budapest, Dance First revolves around the writer's famous adage; "dance first, think later." Charting Beckett's life, whether his years as a Parisian socialite, Nobel Prize Winner or WWII Resistance Fighter, the film dives into the circumstances and relationships that moulded both the work, and the man behind it.

"Samuel Beckett had such a radical influence on modern culture, yet despite all the adulation that came his way was acutely aware of his own failings," explained Marsh (The Theory of Everything, Man on Wire) to Variety. "The film is a playful and often poignant exploration of the life of the literature icon, delving deep into the key relationships in Beckett’s life — mainly the two women he was close to."

Whether known as the scheming social-climber Peytr Baelish in HBO's Game of Thrones or the quietly conniving manager in Bohemian Rhapsody, Aidan Gillen has racked up an impressive list of roles — garnering three Irish Film & Television Awards, a British Academy Television Award Nomination and a Tony Award Nomination.

Recently, the Drumcondra native played charismatic hitman Aberama Gold alongside Cillian Murphy in the gangster-drama Peaky Blinders, and the brilliant yet overlooked professor J. Allen Hynek in The History Channel's Project Blue Book. 

Written by Neil Forsyth (Guilt, Eric, Ernie & Me), Dance First will also see Normal People's Fionn O'Shea, who is set to play a young Beckett. Tony nominated actor Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, Hereditary) will also portray the playwright.