Eddie Redmayne has just picked up an Oscar and later this year he’s got a new movie that’s just the sort of thing that could land him another nomination, playing the central role in The Danish Girl.

Now the first image of Redmayne in the movie has appeared, showing us him as Lili Erbe, one of the first women to undergo sex-reassignment surgery way back in the early 1930s.

The film is based on David Ebershoff’s book about Danish painter Einar Wegener (Redmayne) and his wife Gerda. In 1931 Einar is thought to have become the first person in the world to have a sex-change operation, when she became Lili. It’s believed the journey started – at least openly – after Gerda asked Einar to stand in for a female subject that Gerda was supposed to paint. The painting became incredibly popular and Lili began to express who she truly was.

To add to the Oscar pedigree, Les Miserables and The King’s Speech helmer Tom Hooper is behind the camera.

Incidentally, it could have been a very different movie as back in 2009 Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One in) was set to direct set to direct a film about Lili, with Nicole Kidman as the early transsexual, and Gwyneth Paltrow as her wife. That fell through though.

There has been some criticism that The Danish Girl has cast a cisgender man in the title role, however it was almost inevitable due to the need to have a well-known actor in the part, and also as it will cover Lili’s life both before and after transition. In an ideal world it would have been good to cast a transsexual actor, but unfortunately we’re not there yet.