Gravesend girl turned Hollywood star Gemma Arterton is returning to her home town to shoot her next film — The Escape.

The former Gravesend Grammar School for Girls student, who later trained at the Miskin Theatre in Dartford, will be joined in north Kent by Mammia Mia star Dominic Cooper.

Not content with just a starring role, Gemma has also co-written the script and is acting as producer for Shoebox Films.

The film aims to highlight “the largely undiscussed phenomenon of women forced to leave their children and families”.

Gemma said: “The Escape will be an exploration of marriage and motherhood. It is frank, honest and unapologetically from the woman’s point of view. It will be extremely personal.

“I look forward to embarking on it, surrounded by people I trust and who understand the intention, and to digging deep and finding truth.”

Speaking to Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review on BBC Radio Five Live on Friday afternoon, Arterton said it was her most highly anticipated film on her schedule.

Dominic Savage is in the director’s chair, with some production also set to take place in Paris.

“I am so excited to be collaborating with Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper on this film which is deeply personal to us,” he said.

“I look forward to embarking on a journey of truth and revelation that will tell this important story of motherhood, marriage, responsibility and freedom.”

“I look forward to embarking on it, surrounded by people I trust and who understand the intention, and to digging deep and finding truth" Gemma Arterton

The Escape is the latest in a string of lower budget ventures for Gemma, who starred as Strawberry Fields in Daniel Craig’s second Bond outing – Quantum of Solace – in 2008.

Soon afterwards she starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Disney’s Prince of Persia, but more recent projects have been on a smaller scale.

She has also made stage appearances in Made in Dagenham and Nell Gwynn.

Romantic comedy Their Finest premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada earlier this month, but UK cinema-goers can catch her in zombie drama The Girl With All the Gifts, which came out last week.

The Escape is being distributed by Lorton Entertainment. No release date has been set.