Actress Vera Farmiga has signed on to play former Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie in a new Dennis Wilson biopic.

The Up in the Air star won the role thanks to her likeness to McVie and her musical talents - the actress is a trained pianist.

She'll join Aaron Eckhart, who will portray Wilson, in The Drummer.

The film charts the last six years of Wilson's life. He and McVie had a passionate and tumultuous relationship in which they served as each other's inspiration.

Farmiga will both sing and play the piano in the film.

Director Randall Miller tells WENN, "She has a number of duets with Eckhart in the film. The combination of Aaron and Vera will be pure magic."

The film starts shooting in June.