The legendary life of J.D. Salinger is set to be immortalized on the big screen with the upcoming production and release of the film "Rebel in the Rye."

Nicholas Hoult has been cast in the lead role of Salinger and the movie is based on the novel "J.D. Salinger: A Life," according to Deadline.

Hoult has become a household name since his electrifying performances in hit films "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "X-Men: Days of the Future Past." He will be portraying the author of one of America's most seminary works, "The Catcher in the Rye," which was released around the same time as Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird."

The story of Salinger is unique as the author led a life of seclusion, having suffered from many forms of PTSD following his inclusion in the epic Battle of the Bulge.

Salinger led a rebellious youth and it was that which created a basis for his famous novel. He endured the horrors that came out of World War II and subsequently was hospitalized upon his return due to a nervous breakdown. He saw his own comrades executed in from of him.

The Battle of the Bulge was most well-known for hand-to-hand combat and the brutality that took place there put Salinger in such a state of post traumatic stress that it was too hard for him to reconcile it with civilian life.

His hospitalization introduced him to a woman, who was thought to have had ties to the Nazis. He married her, but it was short-lived and they divorced soon after.

It was his own combined experiences that led him to write the novel that would eventually go on to becomes considered one of the greatest pieces of American literature ever.

There has been no word yet as to when production for the film will start or when the expected release date will be.