Colin Firth is to star alongside Dame Julie Walters in 'The Secret Garden'.

Colin Firth

Colin Firth

The 57-year-old actor is set to start shooting the David Heyman-produced adaptation of the children's classic in the UK on Monday (30.04.18).

The movie is being set in 1947, prior to Partition in India, and following the end of World War Two.

'The Secret Garden' tells the story of Mary Lennox, a difficult 10-year-old girl who was born in India to wealthy British parents.

But she is forced to return to England when her parents suddenly die and she joins forces with her sick cousin to find a secret garden.

Earlier this year, Colin - who previously starred in hits such as 'Bridget Jones's Diary' and 'The King's Speech' - was voted the number one leading romantic film star.

The actor beat the likes of Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant to the crown, according to a survey by Showcase Cinemas UK.

The survey also found that 'Pretty Woman' was the most popular romantic film.

The movie - which stars Julia Roberts - beat 'Love Actually', 'Casablanca', 'Notting Hill' and 'The Notebook' to the number one spot.

Mark Barlow, General Manager of Showcase Cinemas UK, said: "The British love affair with rom-coms is well known, but we wanted to dig a little deeper and see which films really set British cinema lovers' hearts racing.

"What surprised us most is the lingering effect rom-coms seem to be having on younger generations - nearly a fifth have stolen and used chat up lines from a film, while one in ten 18-24 year olds have ended a relationship after watching a rom-com - an exacerbation of the national trend."