Robert Pattinson is to bed Uma Thurman in his next film. The 'Twilight' star has signed up to star in a big screen version of French author Guy de Maupassant's 19th Century novel 'Bel Ami' in which he will play ambitious young journalist Georges Duroy who sleeps his way to the top. Pattinson's first on-screen conquest will be Thurman's character Madeleine.

Film fans could possibly see Pattinson get steamy with Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas, who both also star as Clotilde and Virginie respectively.

The movie will be helmed by theatre director Declan Donnellan, who is making his celluloid debut, and three other actresses are to join the all-star cast. Pattinson will be hoping 'Bel Ami' is a success as he recently admitted he finds it "scary" taking on work outside of the 'Twilight' franchise "scary".

The actor - who plays vampire Edward Cullen in the hit movie series - said: "You get offered stuff that you would never dream of getting offered before, but that's also scary. You don't have to audition for anything. But I don't want to do a movie just so it gets made. You have to question yourself a lot more.

"Before 'Twilight,' I did any movie that I got offered, and you'd try and make the best of it afterwards. "But now, you're expected to come into the movie and provide not only economic viability, but also a performance as well."