Robert Pattinson to play Lawrence of Arabia for Werner Herzog

Robert Pattinson will play T.E. Lawrence in Werner Herzog‘s upcoming indie flick Queen of the Desert.

According to Variety, Pattinson joins Naomi Watts, who will play English writer Gertrude Bell.

T.E. Lawrence was, of course, the subject of David Lean‘s iconic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, where he was portrayed by Peter O’Toole.

Lawrence befriended Bell in the early 1900s, and the two of them worked together in Jordan and Iraq.

You’ve got to give Robert Pattinson credit: following on from David Cronenberg‘s Cosmopolis, he’s certainly seeking out some of the world’s finest directors in an effort to break away from the stigma of Twilight.

Discuss: Does Pattinson have the chops to compete with the great O’Toole?