John Boyega to star in Jesse Owen biopic

Actor John Boyega, known for her work in "Attack The Block", will be seen as American athlete Jesse Owen in forthcoming biopic "Race".

Directed by Stephen Hopkins, the German-Canadian co-production is backed by the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Jesse Owens Trust and the Luminary Group.

Shooting will start in May, with locations including the Berlin Olympic stadium where the legendary athlete won a record four gold medals, reports variety.com.

The plot will focus how Owens - the son of a black Alabama sharecropper, who would have been excluded from the competition had Germany not been threatened by a boycott - triumphed at the 1936 games and destroyed Adolf Hitler's Aryan supremacy myth.

Praising the actor, Hopkins said: "John Boyega is definitely one of the most exciting young actors working today. I am thrilled to have him on board to play the iconic role of Jesse Owens in 'Race'."

Scripted by Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel, "Race" is scheduled for a spring 2015 release.