He has immortalised Tony Blair, David Frost and, most recently, legendary football manager Brian Clough on the big screen.

Now actor Michael Sheen is set to return to the realm of the firmly fictional after agreeing to play a vampire in the sequel to the blockbuster film Twilight.

Sheen, 40, who made his name with uncannily realistic portrayals of well-known figures in Oscar-winning films The Queen, Frost/Nixon and The Damned United, will get his biggest pay cheque yet, a reported £5million, to star in New Moon.

In New Moon, Sheen will play Aro, the leader of an Italian vampire clan called the Volturi.

Director Chris Weitz confirmed Sheen’s casting to The Mail on Sunday and said he had ‘aggressively’ pursued the actor.

‘Michael’s role is so important because he’s the head of all vampires,’ he said. ‘Aro is, on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat.’

Source: Daily Mail