Bryan Cranston to play blacklisted screenwriter

Bryan Cranston is to continue his run of solid roles with an intriguing lead, playing the blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in a new biopic.

The 'Breaking Bad' star will begin shooting the film, directed by Jay Roach, next year, and it will be his first project after wrapping up his role as chemistry teacher-turned-drugs kingpin Walter White.

Trumbo's story is ripe for the biopic treatment, allowing Hollywood to uncover a dark period in its history.

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He was among the most sought-after screenwriters of his day, but as a member of the communist party, he was hounded out of Hollywood by the House of Un-American Activities Committee, created by the House of Representatives to root out communists.

After he refused to give evidence to the committee, he was blacklisted, and became one of the Hollywood 10, a group that were shunned by the major studios.

He later served 11 months in jail.

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But his work remained beyond reproach. He won two Oscars while blacklisted, both awarded to him many years later.

The first was for 'The Brave One', written under a pseudonym, and the other for Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck's iconic 'Roman Holiday', which was awarded to him after his death in 1976.

He also wrote the movies 'Exodus', directed by Otto Preminger, and the iconic epic 'Spartacus'.

He was also the subject of the play 'Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted', written by his son Christopher, his part variously played by the likes of Nathan Lane, Ed Harris, Tim Robbins, Chris Cooper and Gore Vidal.

You can check out the vintage trailer for 'Roman Holiday' below...