Radcliffe stars in war classic

Daniel Radcliffe is to star in a new film adaptation of the war novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The Harry Potter star will play Paul Baumer, a young German soldier caught in the horrors of trench warfare.

The role will see Radcliffe revisit the trenches of the First World War three years after he played Rudyard Kipling's son in My Boy Jack. In the television feature Radcliffe portrayed Jack, a young lieutenant who fought with the Irish Guards.

Erich Maria Remarque's classic novel All Quiet on the Western Front tells the story of a group of classmates who, egged on by their high school teacher, join the Kaiser's army in a fit of patriotism near the war's outset.

The anti-war novel, originally published in German in 1929, remains popular in both Germany and Britain and has been adapted for film twice, in 1930 and in 1979. The latest remake is expected to be released in 2011.

The film's producer Ian Stokell said he was "excited" about the prospect of working with Radcliffe. "We know he can tap into the delicate balance between intensity and believability that is critical," he said.