Filming is already underway for Suffolk’s big Netflix film The Dig and now other cast members have been announced for the movie based on the burial ship found at Sutton Hoo.
The 30-year-old English actress, who is no stranger to filming in Suffolk, will join the cast which also boasts A list Hollywood stars Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes.
Miss James starred in Danny Boyle's film Yesterday which, written by Suffolk-based Richard Curtis, famous for films like Four Wedddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, was largely filmed in Suffolk and Norfolk.
Miss James has enjoyed a steady rise in her acting career having spent many years studying her craft before gaining a bachelors degree in acting in 2010 after graduating from art school in Hertfordshire.
She has American heritage with her grandmother being US actress Helen Horton, who starred in Superman 3 and was the voice of "Mother" in Alien.
Horton was also well known for taking over from Vivian Leigh, who infamously played Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, in the stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire causing a classic Vivian Leigh quip where she remarked: "No one takes over for me, dear. When I leave a play, it's over."
Lily is also distantly related to Meryl Streep who she starred with in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and has ties to President George Bush being a sixth cousin once removed.
Now she is heading for the mounds of Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, to join an already stellar cast.
Also announced in the line-up are Ken Stott, the Scottish actor best known for British TV series' The Vice and The Missing as well as his role in The Hobbit trilogy and Ben Chaplin, who began his career in British television.
Mr Chaplin was the original "Matthew" in 90's comedy series Game On but he is most well known for his work in Hollywood having starred in Dorian Gray with Colin Firth and The Thin Red Line with Sean Penn.
Netflix describe the production as: "An historic discovery, the echoes of Britain's past resonate in the face of it's uncertain future."
The film crew began shooting scenes last month in Shingle Street near Hollesley and Netflix has now confirmed there will be a worldwide release for The Dig in 2020.
Telling the story of the Sutton Hoo mystery
Australian director Simon Stone is taking the helm of "The Dig" to depict one of the most significant archaeological finds in British history - the seventh century Anglo Saxon burial ship found underneath the mounds of Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge.
Since the discovery of the burial boat and subsequent treasure found in 1939, the story has unfolded with every dig made but was overlooked at the time due to the impending conflict of the Second World War.
Now, however, the story of King Raedwald's royal resting place in East Anglia will finally be heard.
The film will focus on the partnership between landowner Edith Pretty, played by Carey Mulligan, with Ralph Fiennes portraying archaeologist Basil Brown.
The feature has been in development for some time, with rumours that Nicole Kidman was originally lined up to play Mrs Pretty, but with filming now underway the rumours have turned into reality and Suffolk's most famous find is being brought to the big screen.
Producing the film is Gabrielle Tana, whose previous credits include Philomena and The Invisible Woman, whilst Jane Eyre playwright and Harlots creator Moira Buffini will be overseeing the script.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here