Constantin Film is adapting the ancient volcanic story of Pompeii for the big screen, penned by a Downton Abbey screenwriter, and Jared Harris has joined the cast!

Pompeii will be set in 79 A.D., and follows “Milo, a slave-turned-invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Flavia, a wealthy merchant’s daughter who unwillingly has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman general.” Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) will play the lead as Milo, and Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) will star as Flavia. Harris, best known for his roles in Mad Men and in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, will play Lucretius, Flavia’s father.

Paul W.S. Anderson (The Three Musketeers, Alien vs. Predator) is slated to direct this ancient and epic thriller, and Lee Batchler (Batman Forever), Janet Scott Batchler (Batman Forever), Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) and Michael Robert Johnson (Sherlock Holmes) co-wrote the screenplay. Pompeii hasn’t been given a release date yet, but we can probably expect it to hit theaters in 2014.

As we know, Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii in 79 A.D. Are you excited to see this story hit the big screen?

Thanks, THR.