The 'Man of Steel' actor will portray a novelist struggling to raise his five-year-old daughter in New York, with the story also focusing on the girl's life in the present day, as a 30-year-old Manhattan woman battling the effects of her troubled upbringing.
"This is a performance-driven movie, and therefore I couldn't ask for a better actor than Russell to deliver this intensely emotional drama.
"It's edgy, heart-wrenching, and uplifting at the same time. To me, it feels like a classic American movie that recalls the great character dramas of the '70s," said director Gabriele Muccino.