Robert De Niro cast in The Whisper Man

Robert De Niro is to star in 'The Whisper Man'.

The 81-year-old film legend has boarded the cast of Netflix and AGBO's adaptation of Alex North's crime thriller novel.

James Ashcroft is set to direct the film with Ben Jacoby and Chase Palmer adapting the screenplay.

'The Whisper Man' tells the story of a widowed crime writer who, when his eight-year-old son is abducted, looks to his estranged father - a retired former police detective - for assistance.

However, they discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as 'The Whisper Man'.

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Angela Russo-Otstot and Michael Disco are to produce for AGBO for what marks the sixth picture in the company's partnership with Netflix.

Production on the flick is expected to start this spring.

Russo-Otstot, AGBO's chief creative officer, said: "AGBO is excited to be embarking on our 6th film with our incredible partners at Netflix.

"'The Whisper Man' is a gripping thriller but at its core is a poignant and complex story of father and sons.

"We are grateful to have one of the finest actors of his generation, Robert De Niro, anchoring that story and with the remarkable James Ashcroft directing."

De Niro has previously collaborated with legendary director Martin Scorsese on 10 movies and the 'Killers of the Flower Moon' filmmaker says his relationship with the actor is built on "trust and love" that dates back to their upbringing.

Scorsese told HeyUGuys.com: "In the case of Robert De Niro, we were teenagers together, and he's the only one who really knows where I come from, the people I knew, and that sort of thing. Some of them still alive, he knows them.

"I know his friends, his old friends, and we had a real testing ground in the 70s, where we tried everything and we found that, you know, we trusted each other. It's all about trust and love. It's what it is."

Scorsese has worked with De Niro on classic films such as 'Taxi Driver' and 'Goodfellas' and explained how the star has never "taken over" any of his projects.

The 82-year-old filmmaker said: "And that's a big deal, because very often if an actor has a lot of power, and he had a lot of power at that time, an actor could take over your picture. I never felt that."

Scorsese also revealed that De Niro recommended that he work with Leonardo DiCaprio, who has also become one of his regular collaborators.

He recalled: "Years later, he told me he worked with this kid, Leo DiCaprio, a little boy, in 'This Boy's Life', and he said, 'You should work with this kid sometime'.

"It was just casual. But within a line, something like that, a recommendation at the time, I think in the early 90s, is not casual. He rarely gave recommendations."