Actress Keira Knightley, shown Sept. 3, 2008 at the world premiere of The Duchess, is heading for a London stage in December. (Luke MacGregor/Reuters)

British actress Keira Knightley will make her debut in London's West End theatre district in a production of Molière's The Misanthrope.

Knightley, a film actress known for roles in Atonement and Bend It Like Beckham, will play an ambitious American film star in the play, which is being given a modern-day setting.

The 24-year-old was nominated for an Oscar for playing Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.

She'll star opposite Damian Lewis, known for his turn in Band of Brothers, who takes the role of Alceste, a disillusioned British playwright who vows to reject society until he falls for her.

Molière's original play is a comedy of manners set in the 17th century, with a series of characters taken in by a shallow and conceited young woman.

British playwright Martin Crimp is adapting the work, which also stars Tara Fitzgerald, who starred in TV series Waking the Dead.

The play opens at the Comedy Theatre in London Dec. 17 and runs until March 13.