Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith to play murderous cult leader Charles Manson

He's better known for playing the ultimate good guy, but things are about to take a dark turn.

Matt Smith shot to worldwide fame when he replaced David Tennant as the 11th incarnation of 'The Doctor' in the BBC series Doctor Who. He played the part with aplomb between 2009 and 2013, and many were sad to see him go after such a brief stint. Indeed he later admitted that he regretted his decision to cut short his time as the Time Lord. Since then he has showcased his impressive acting range with leading roles in Lost River, the theatre production of American Psycho, and of course the plumb part of a young Prince Philip in the lavish Netflix show The Crown. But he's about to go even darker than Patrick Bateman in his next big Hollywood project. That's because he is in talks to take on the role of murderous cult leader Charles Manson in a new film called The Family. He will be directed by Mary Harron, with Guinevere Turner on board as screenwriter. According to Tracking Board, the film will "follow grad student Faith as she works with three brainwashed young women who were part of the Manson family — Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. The story will be told via a series of flashbacks after the three women are incarcerated in a special security unit at the California Institute for Women." It means he will go head to head with Quentin Tarantino, who is also making a movie about Manson. His project will take place in Los Angeles in 1969, with the Manson murders serving as a backdrop. Leonardo DiCaprio is set to feature - but won't play Tarantino's Manson. Instead he will be played by an as-yet-unnamed “ageing actor”.