Variety reports that Plummer and Mirren have replaced the film's previously confirmed leads, Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep, in the roles of Tolstoy and his wife, Sofia. Also set to appear in the film is Oscar winner Paul Giamatti as Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov.

Based on the 1990 novel by Jay Parini — which was inspired by actual diaries kept by members of the Tolstoy household who detailed the final year of the "War and Peace" author — the film will explore the troubled relationship between Tolstoy and his wife.

Michael Hoffman directs the film that is reported to begin shooting April 7 in Germany, with locations set for Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Thuringia and several historic locations in Russia.

Plummer was Tony-nominated for the 2007 production of Inherit the Wind. He earned Tony Awards for his performances in Cyrano and Barrymore, and has appeared in the Broadway productions of King Lear, J.B., Othello and No Man's Land. Later this year Plummer will star in the Stratford Festival staging of Caesar and Cleopatra opposite Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose.

Mirren, an Academy and Golden Globe Award winner for "The Queen," has appeared on Broadway in Dance of Death and A Month in the Country. Her additional screen credits include "Gosford Park," "The Madness of King George," "Elizabeth I," "The Passion of Ayn Rand" and "Prime Suspect."