Tom Hardy is in talks to play Sir Ernest Shackleton in a new biopic.

Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy

The 39-year-old actor has opened discussions with StudioCanal to take on the role of the real-life Polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic at the turn of the 20th century.

Shackleton is one of the main figures of 'The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration' and his second exploration to the South Pole was the largest advance to the pole in exploration history and he was knighted by King Edward VII on his return to the UK.

The adventurer's story was previously told in the Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA Award winning two-part TV film 'Shackleton', which starred Sir Kenneth Branagh in the titular role.

StudioCanal's film is expected to tell the story of Shackleton's voyage on the ship Endurance which took him and his team to Antarctica in 1912 on what was known 'The Imperial Trans-Atlantic Expedition' and at one point got trapped by ice floes but the ingenuity and bravery of Shackleton saved him and his crew.

Peter Straughan has been hired to write the script, however, no director has yet to be hired for the adventure.

Hardy will next be seen in Christopher Nolan's upcoming World War II thriller 'Dunkirk' which also stars One Direction's Harry Styles in his first big screen role, Cillian Murphy and Mark Rylance and wit will be released in July 2017.