Julia Roberts has signed up to 'Ben is Back'.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts

The 'Pretty Woman' actress has joined the cast of the drama film alongside Lucas Hedges, who will take on the lead role of the troubled titular character who returns home unexpectedly one Christmas Eve much to the surprise of his family.

According to Deadline, the motion picture will be directed and scripted by the 'Manchester By the Sea' star's father Peter Hedges.

Roberts, 49, will portray Ben's concerned mother Holly Burns who puts on a brave face upon his return but is then tasked with doing everything she possibly can to avoid the family's downfall in the next 24 hours.

Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson's Color Force and Teddy Schwarzman's Black Bear Pictures will produce the forthcoming film, with production due to get underway in December.

Roberts won a Best Actress Academy Award for her 2000 movie 'Erin Brockovich', but is most known for 1990 motion picture 'Pretty Woman' alongside Richard Gere, and she recently admitted it has taken "years" to notice just how successful the film is.

She recently said: "It is not a bad movie to have follow you around for 25-odd years. I think it takes years to realise that level of how it has been absorbed into popular culture.

"It takes this many years because those are the words that I hear the most from people. It is nice, at least it is a nice title, you know it could be worse."

Roberts' next role will see her star in 'Wonder' alongside Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay, who will play her on-screen son in the production.