Malkovich to play Klimt in new movie

John Malkovich is to play the part of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt in a film about the artist's turbulent life.

He will lead a cast including French actress Laeticia Casta and German stars Veronica Ferres and Otto Sander.

The Art Nouveau painter, best known for his images of beautiful women, founded the Vienna Secession movement in 1897.

The painter became a target of fierce criticism and censorship during his lifetime for his starkly erotic painting.