Ellie Bamber has said Pride And Prejudice And Zombies will show that women can be just as strong as men.

The Falling star will play Lydia Bennet alongside Lily James and Matt Smith in the film based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s parody novel of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice.

Ellie said: “I think it shows five strong powerful women leaders as the main feature of the film, and I think that’s the best thing about it, these five strong female characters. It shows a young generation that women can be as strong as men.

“It’s just great how it’s taken the Jane Austen text and created a whole new spin on it. It really is going to appeal to a younger audience and I think they’re going to find a new excitement in Jane Austen.”

The 18-year-old actress – who is currently starring in High Society at London’s Old Vic theatre – revealed she and her co-stars trained in martial arts for two months before filming began.

Ellie said: “It’s a very iconic character so I had to do a lot of research into it. But the main thing was that I spent about two months doing martial arts training because all five sisters are trained zombie fighters.

“I worked with some amazing people – Sally Phillips, who was hilarious, Matt Smith, Lily James, Suki Waterhouse.

“It was a really, really great experience. Burr Steers is a really great director and he’s brought me on leaps and bounds.”

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies was shot last year and will hit cinemas in February 2016.