AceShowbiz - Malcolm McDowell will portray media mogul Rupert Murdoch in a new film.

The British actor has signed on to join the star-studded cast of director Jay Roach's upcoming drama about the former Fox News chairman and chief executive officer Roger Ailes, according to Variety.

While Murdoch hired Ailes to helm the network in 1996, following a string of controversial comments and accusations of sexual harassment, the businessman ultimately made the decision to push him out of the company and succeeded him in the role until a replacement was found. Ailes died at the age of 77 in May 2017 after suffering a subdural haematoma, which was aggravated by his haemophilia.

In the currently untitled film, Ailes will be played by John Lithgow, while Nicole Kidman is to take on the part of former "Fox & Friends" presenter Gretchen Carlson, who filed a lawsuit against Ailes in July 2016 claiming sexual harassment.

Charlize Theron has been tapped to play journalist Megyn Kelly, who has also claimed to have been subjected to harassment by Ailes, and Allison Janney is to take on the part of Ailes' attorney Susan Estrich.

Margot Robbie has been cast as a fictional Fox News producer and Kate McKinnon is rumoured to have landed a part too.

Executives at studio Annapurna are producing and financing the film, with "The Big Short" screenwriter Charles Randolph penning the script, which is set to explore how a group of women in the company decided to take on Ailes as well as tackle the "toxic male culture" he presided over at the network.

The film is still in the pre-production stages and a potential release date has yet to be announced.

Veteran actor McDowell has had a career which has spanned over 50 years. Following his breakthrough role in the Stanley Kubrick classic "A Clockwork Orange", the 75-year-old has had roles in films such as "Star Trek: Generations", "Time After Time" and "Halloween".