According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hugo Weaving is joining the cast of V for Vendetta, playing the title character V opposite Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, Rupert Graves and Stephen Fry.

Weaving replaced James Purefoy, who originally was cast in the role but has left the production. Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V for Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered woman named Evey (Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante known only as V, who ignites a revolution.

V is being produced by the Matrix team of Joel Silver and Andy and Larry Wachowski. James McTeigue is directing the futuristic thriller, which is under way in Berlin as a co-production between Warner Bros. Prods. and Funfte Babelsberg Film GmbH, supported by the local subsidy fund Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

V for Vendetta was released March 17th, 2006 and stars Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Rupert Graves, Roger Allam. The film is directed by James McTeigue.