London, Dec 11 (IANS): Actor Bradley Cooper is so facinated by John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" that he immediately grabbed the chance to star in its movie adaptation.

The actor is set to play Lucifer in the film, which revolves around the biblical tale of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Cooper feels the film is likely to court controversy.

"I can really relate to the story of 'Paradise Lost'. I did a Milton course as part of my English degree and fell in love with that character because I couldn't believe how appetising he is in that poem. Satan is the hero,' Cooper told metro.co.uk.

"It's a story we can all relate to - Dad's gone crazy and he wants us to worship the dog and then his brother says: 'Dad's right.' It's about the father betraying the character.

"You bet it's going to be criticised. You're taking one of the greatest pieces of literature of the past 300 years but who cares? It really is a wonderful experiment," he added.