FRENCH actor Gerard Depardieu is to play Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in a forthcoming movie, his press representative said Tuesday.

    Depardieu will feature in a screen adaptation of a 2013 novel called “Le Divan de Staline” (“Stalin’s Sofa”), the representative said.

    The film will be directed by French actress and director Fanny Ardant.

    The novel, written by Jean-Daniel Baltassat, is set in the Soviet Union of the 1950s, centering on a young artist who is commissioned to create a monument to Stalin but faces scrutiny by the KGB. The Moscow-based studio Mosfilm will provide costumes and props.

    Depardieu, 67, is one of France’s most successful actors, winning huge praise for his roles in “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “Les Miserables,” “Jean de Florette” and other films. He is best known abroad for the romantic comedy “Green Card.”

    He has repeatedly made headlines in his country of birth for stirring controversy and backing unpopular causes. Depardieu was given Russian citizenship by presidential decree in 2013 after publicly criticizing France’s high taxes and taking up residence abroad. This year, he has praised Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — lashed for rights abuses by monitoring groups — as “a nice guy.”(SD-Agencies)