Everett will play both headmistress Camilla Fritton and her brother

The cast includes Rupert Everett in the dual role of the headmistress and her brother and Colin Firth as an MP, along with Russell Brand and Stephen Fry.

The first film chronicling the unruly adventures at the "school for young ladies" was made in 1954 and starred Alastair Sim and Joyce Grenfell.

Shooting is due to begin in and around Ealing Studios in west London at the end of March.

Producers have said that more casting announcements can be expected in the coming weeks.

The film will see the school's dire financial situation making it vulnerable to an MP's plans to turn it into a respectable institution.

Ealing Studios produced some of Britain's best-loved comedies of the 1940s and 50s, including Whisky Galore and The Ladykillers.