Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in Nell Gwynn at Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe has announced that Gugu Mbatha-Raw will star as Nell in Jessica Swale's new play Nell Gwynn.

Directed by Christopher Luscombe, the production runs from 19 September to 11 October and will be the last show in the Globe's 2015 summer season.

Mbatha-Raw's film credits include Larry Crowne, Belle and Beyond the Lights. Her previous stage appearances include Romeo and Juliet opposite Andrew Garfield at the Royal Exchange, and playing Ophelia in Hamlet with Jude Law.

Set in 1660, after the restoration of Charles II to the throne, Nell Gwynn is billed is an "effervescent celebration of life in the theatre". It charts the rise of Gwynn from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain's most celebrated actress and the king's consort.

Playwright and director Jessica Swale returns to the Globe following her 2013 play Blue Stockings. Christopher Luscombe's recent directing credits include Spamalot and The Rocky Horror Show for ATG and Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing for the RSC.

Further casting for Nell Gwynn is still to be announced.