Director Mike Leigh has set his sights on his next project centring on the infamous Peterloo Massacre of 1819.

The BAFTA-winning writer-director intends to reunite with Dick Pope, who received an Oscar nomination for his camerawork on Leigh’s last feature film Mr. Turner.

Talking to Screen Daily, Leigh said on the upcoming production: “There has never been a feature film about the Peterloo Massacre. Apart from the universal political significance of this historic event, the story has a particular personal resonance for me, as a native of Manchester and Salford.”

The well-known incident saw British government forces charge into a crowd of 60,000 that had gathered on St Peter’s Field in Manchester to demand political reform.

The forces killed an estimated 15 protestors and injured hundreds, sparking indignation amongst many and further brutal government crackdowns.

Peterloo is currently in development with Film4 and is set to be the director’s biggest budget to date with many financiers happy with the money grossed from Mr Turner. The project is scheduled to go into production in 2017.