Australian actor Damon Herriman has been cast as notorious cult leader Charles Manson in director Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Herriman joins a bustling ensemble, including fellow Australian Margo Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, as the late mastermind behind the killing spree of pregnant star Sharon Tate and four others in 1969.

The movie, which is set during the period of the Manson murders, will deal with running themes of fear of the cult’s murderous actions in Los Angeles and film industry shifts.

The production will centre around Rick Dalton (DiCaprio, 43), the former star of a western TV series and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt, 54), as they try to survive in a Hollywood they no longer recognise.

One person they do however recognise is Dalton’s next-door neighbour, Sharon Tate (Robbie, 28).

On August 7, Robbie shared a sneak peak of her role as Tate on Instagram, showing off her serious ’60s fashion in a black turtle neck and short white skirt.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmJACWgnwaW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Tarantino’s highly-anticipated drama is set to be released July 26, 2019 – two weeks before the 50th anniversary of the 26-year-old starlet’s brutal murder.

Tate was stabbed repeatedly in her home by Manson’s followers on August 9, 1969. She was married to director Roman Polanski and was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with their first child.

Herriman’s announcement comes with after news of other additions to the cast, including Al Pacino as DiCaprio’s character’s agent, Lena Dunham as Catherine “Gypsy” Share, a member of Manson’s commune, as well as Dakota Fanning, Rumer Willis, Dreama Walker, Margaret Qualley, Costa Ronin, Victoria Pedretti, and Madisen Beaty.