Joseph Fiennes and Rosamund Pike are to go head-to-head with real-life couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly - in movies about naturalist Charles Darwin.

All four Hollywood stars are lining up to appear in films about Darwin, who developed the controversial theory of evolution, which argued that humans descended from apes.

Bettany and Connelly have started shooting their flick, Creation, while Fiennes and Pike are preparing for similar roles in Mrs Darwin.

And the former Bond girl insists her own fascination with Darwin's theories have helped her in the role.

She says, "I'm definitely a Darwinist, but playing his wife has been a real eye-opener. She was very religious and his discoveries placed a heavy strain on their marriage. We are exploring different angles to his story."

The films are set to coincide with the bicentenary of Darwin's birth in 2009.