Black Bear Pictures announced the start of production today on The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. The film is a dramatic portrayal of the life and work of one of Great Britain’s most extraordinary unsung heroes — Alan Turing, a pioneer of modern-day computing, and the man most credited with cracking the German Enigma code of World War II.

Michael Apted’s 2001 film Enigma, starring Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott as Bletchley Park codebreakers, previously managed to scrupulously avoid crediting Turing, who was persecuted after the war for his homosexuality. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum — a BAFTA nominee last year for the delightful, underappreciated Headhunters — is helming a production team that includes cinematographer Oscar Faura and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy production designer Maria Djurkovic. Mark Strong, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear and Charles Dance will also co-star in The Imitation Game, which should be ready in time for the spring festival circuit.