Jenna Coleman roped in to headline The War Rooms

Actor Jenna Coleman, known for starring in the BBC/Netflix drama The Serpent, is all set to headline an upcoming series titled The War Rooms.

The War Rooms will explore the untold story of the women who lived, loved and triumphed in Winston Churchill's secret Whitehall bunker. In the series, Coleman will play Joan Bright, the woman who ran the Whitehall bunker. 

Deadline reports that Coleman's character Bright is a former girlfriend of James Bond author Ian Fleming and was thought to be one of the inspirations behind Miss Moneypenny. Her memoir The Inner Circle: A View of War at the Top has been optioned for the series.

"Joan Bright was never going to live a conventional life — a young woman who lived her war days under the official secrets act, undercover and underground in the war rooms. This story is so compelling not only because of her unique and liberal mind, wryness of spirit, and curiosity to live, but because of the opportunity to examine this endlessly fascinating period of time through an intimate and human lens," Coleman said in a statement about the news.

"I'm so excited to unearth these hidden lives and at a time where it feels so shockingly relevant right now," the actor added.

The War Rooms is created by Moving On writer David Chidlow and hails from The Father producer David Parfitt and Jamie Carmichael.