TOM Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and One Direction’s Harry Styles will be filming in Dorset this month to shoot a major World War Two film.

The A-listers are shooting in Swanage and Weymouth at the end of July for Christopher Nolan’s new film Dunkirk, which will be released next year.

The film will chronicle the evacuation of 330,000 Allied troops who were surrounded by Nazi forces in France in a daring operation between May 27 and June 4, 1940.​

Broadchurch star James d'Arcy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are also starring.

The news that the Warner Brothers blockbuster is the film being shot was confirmed at a meeting of the Weymouth Harbour Management Board this week.

A casting call in Weymouth last weekend had fuelled speculation that the stars were their way to the Jurassic Coast.

The open casting, for an 'untitled' Second World War project, was at the Pavilion’s Ocean Room on Saturday, ahead of filming in Weymouth and Swanage next month.

The production company involved was Bodega Bay Films Ltd. Christopher Nolan has been using 'Bodega Bay' as a codename for the film.

Cllr Jason Osborne, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council spokesman for harbour and tourism: "It generates a bit of income for the harbour and the biggest thing is it puts us on the world stage.

"There are a lot of people that do go and visit film sets.

"To be on the modern screen in an epic drama will be fantastic."

Cllr Osborne added: "I think they are going to film in Swanage and they are using Weymouth Harbour.

"They are doing a couple of night shoots and a day shoot."

Cllr Colin Huckle, chairman of the Harbour Management Board, said that Weymouth's starring role will "show what a great, unique harbour we have".

He added: "It is advertising for the resort and it could help boost our tourist economy.

"It could even encourage more visiting yachts."

In 2012, Brad Pitt was spotted filming World War Z at Lulworth Cove, much to the excitement of local fans.
In April last year, a masted pirate ship was moored off Swanage Pier as part of filming for a new adaptation of Peter Pan.
Here's a list of other Dorset locations that have featured in films.