SIR Anthony Hopkins is returning to horror - as Britain's most notorious killer.
He will be paid US$3.25 million (HK$25 million) to play Jack the Ripper in a Hollywood film which he will also co-produce.
American film-makers are overjoyed at signing the actor who won an Oscar for his chilling portrayal of mass murderer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs.
Richard Saperstein of New Line Cinema said: 'He's the only actor in my mind who can portray the complexities of the Ripper.' Hopkins will play James Maybrick, reputed to be the Victorian serial killer after a book claiming to be his diaries was published in 1993.
'Maybrick was seen as an upstanding, stalwart member of the upper class, a Mason and loving father,' Saperstein said.
'While maintaining that veneer, Sir Anthony must portray this slow, hideous, descent into barbaric madness.' The search is now on to find an actress to play Maybrick's wife. Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster and Julia Roberts are all being considered.