Tommy Lee Jones has signed up to star in Emperor for director Burr Steers, joining Matthew Fox in a film inspired by the true events surrounding Japan’s surrender which ended World War II, according to Variety.

Lee Jones will play General Douglas MacArthur, who was the de facto leader of Japan after their surrender. The story centers on MacArthur, who brings in a Japanese expert, General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox), to decide whether Emperor Hirohito should be tried and executed as a war criminal. Fellers is also compromised by his love affair with a Japanese exchange student he previously met in the United States.

Producer Gary Foster had this to say about Tommy Lee Jones, “Tommy will bring strength, intelligence, and gravitas to the portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur, a legendary American hero.” Production is slated to begin later this month, on location in Japan and New Zealand.