Keira Knightley's New Film: Knightley to star as Coco Chanel in Karl Lagerfeld's Short

Keira Knightley will play the legendary Coco Chanel in a new short film.

Karl Lagerfeld will direct Knightley in a short film that will commemorate the French fashion house's 100^th anniversary.

The film will shot in Deauville, where the first Chanel boutique opened in 1913, financed by Gabrielle "CoCo" Channel's lover Captain Arthur Edward "Boy" Capel.

Knightley was handpicked by Lagerfeld to star in the film because of their friendship and their work together.  

The director/designer is reported to have ordered the crew to build "detailed retro sets" in the seaside resort where Chanel used to send her sister and aunt to parade through the streets wearing her creations to attract customers.

The film will also star model Stella Tennant and actress Tallulah Harlech, as well as French actress Clotilde Hesme, model Brad Kroenig and his four-year-old son Hudson, who is Lagerfeld's godson.

Knightley last starred in Joe Wright's "Anna Karenina" for which she obtained critical acclaim. The actress is currently the face of Coco Mademoiselle" a perfume from Chanel and has appeared in two commercials also directed by Wright. She also starred in David Cronenbrg's "A Dangerous Method" and "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World." She will next be seen in Kenneth Branagh's "Jack Ryan" and John Carney's "Can a Song Save a Life" with Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine.

Lagerfeld's short is the latest in a host of recent movies about Chanel. Previously Audrey Tautou starred in the Academy Award nominee "Coco Before Chanel" (2008) and Angela Mouglalis starred "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky" (2009).

Once the film is completed it will be screened at Chanel's Cruise Show at Singapore in May.