Spanish actor Antonio Banderas is to star in a Hollywood film about the 33 Chilean miners who survived two months underground following a rock slide in 2010.

The Mask of Zorro star has signed up to appear in director Patricia Riggen's new project Los 33, which tells the story of the men's time underground at the San Jose mine and their headline-grabbing rescue.

Riggen tells Britain's Daily Star Sunday newspaper, "Antonio Banderas will be part of our team of actors. We're very happy to have him in the cast. But he's just the first one confirmed. There will be many more."

The group, which became known as Los 33 (The 33), were trapped 700 metres (2,300 feet) underground for around two months and survived by rationing food supplies before an innovative drilling operation led to their rescue.