Los Angeles, Apr 6 (IANS): Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey will star in Christopher Nolan's new sci-fi film "Interstellar", reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The time-travelling movie is said to be inspired by the scientific theories of relativity expert Kip S. Thorne, a theoretical physicist, gravitational physicist and astrophysicist at Caltech, the California Institute of Technology, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The movie's plot will centre around a group of space explorers who travel through a wormhole in a bid to put the scientific theories to the test. McConaughey will play the hero, a man called Cooper.

The script has been penned by Nolan's younger brother, Jonathan, but little is known about "The Dark Knight Rises" director, Nolan's new film.

"Interstellar" has been set up at Paramount Pictures, but the feature will work in conjunction with Warner Bros, the company with which Nolan made all three of his "Batman" movies, as well as "Inception" and "Insomnia".

In recent months, McConaughey has stepped away from romantic comedies and made a name for himself with gritty roles, including in films like "Killer Joe" and upcoming drama "Dallas Buyers Club".