Jeremy Irvine has signed on to star in director Roland Emmerich's gay rights drama Stonewall.

The plot is based on the true story of the June 28, 1969 raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York, a mafia-owned establishment that was a gathering place of homosexuals and transgenders of that area. The raid set off a violent series of riots and demonstrations and became a touchstone for the gay rights movement that is recognized still to this day. The plot centers on a young man (Jeremy Irvine) who must come to terms with his own political ideals in the face of this event.

Jon Robin Baitz (People I Know) wrote the screenplay, with Roland Emmerich producing alongside Michael Fossatt and Marc Frydman. Kirstin Winkler and Adam Press are serving as executive producers. Roland Emmerich plans to shoot Stonewall while continuing to prep for his highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel Independence Day 2

Jeremy Irvine is best known for starring in Steven Spielberg's War Horse, and he will next be seen in The Railway Man, alongside Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth, which opens in theaters this Friday.