British actors Rupert Friend, Ioan Gruffudd, Natascha McElhone and Irish actor Liam Cunningham have all boarded actor-turned-director Nick Moran's sophomore project The Kid.

The project is an adaptation of writer Kevin Lewis' best-selling true story of an abused child who manages to extricate himself from the criminal underworld to lead a more fulfilling life.

Moran earned critical kudos for his debut directorial effort Telstar last year.