David Cronenberg's latest, Eastern Promises, is set to open The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival, on 17 October.

Promises sees Cronenberg cinematically visiting Blighty's beloved London for the first time. And, this being David, don't expect a jolly tale of a cheeky cockney cantering down our cobbled streets on a cheerful quest to visit the London Eye.

Instead, Promises sees Naomi Watts playing an innocent midwife getting embroiled in the vicious world of London's Russian crime community, encountering Viggo Mortensen's mysterious Nickolai along the way.

Written by Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) and reuniting Cronenberg with his History Of Violence lead, Promises has quality carved into it - and we can't wait to see it.

David's excited about coming back to Britain, too: "I’m thrilled to be returning to the scene of the crime. Eastern Promises is the first film I’ve ever shot entirely away from my home in Canada, and it makes perfect sense that it is set in London, home of so many of my most potent film influences. I can’t wait to be there!"

We'll be there too - stayed tuned to Total Film for more announcements, including the Festival's full exciting line-up, soon...