In a radical departure from his villainous turn as Loki in Marvel's The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World, Tom Hiddleston has signed on to play country music legend Hank Williams in the biopic I Saw the Light.

The story will chart Hank Williams' speedy rise to fame and fortune, and the toll it took on his personal life. The musician, best known for hit songs such as "Your Cheatin' Heart", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Hey Good Lookin," passed away at the age of 29 from heart failure.

Marc Abraham is directing from his own screenplay, which was adapted from Colin Escott's biography. Brett Ratner and Aaron L. Gilbert are producing for RatPac Entertainment, alongside Marc Abraham and G. Marq Roswell. The producers also made a deal with Sony ATV for the rights to Hank Williams' entire music catalog for use in the film. Production is slated to begin this October in Louisiana.

Tom Hiddleston can currently be seen in the vampire thriller Only Lovers Left Alive, and he will next be seen in Crimson Peak and High-Rise.