Robert Pattinson is set to appear in Anton Corbijn's forthcoming James Dean biopic, Life, though not as the tragic 50s star.

The prospect of the Twilight heartthrob taking to the big screen as the most notable male sex symbol of his era might have been guaranteed to set teenage hearts aflutter. But Pattinson has signed on to play Dean's sometime travelling companion, the photographer Dennis Stock, instead. The film star will be portrayed by Chronicle actor Dane DeHaan, who is currently Hollywood hot property after signing up for the next Amazing Spider-Man movie.

Corbijn's film will see the Dutch director taking on another iconic figure who died long before his time, following on from Control, his critically acclaimed 2007 film about the last years of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. The James Dean biopic, titled Life after the magazine for which Stock was working, will follow the recent trend for movies that touch on a vital period in their subject's life, as opposed to the "cradle to grave" format. Dean's 1955 breakthrough, the melodrama East of Eden, had not yet been released when Stock received an assignment from the Magnum agency to photograph the young actor. The pair ended up becoming friends during a journey from New York to Los Angeles, and on to Indiana, with the photographer capturing iconic images of the nascent star.

Dean died in a near head-on car crash in September 1955 while travelling at a reported 85mph in his new Porsche 550 Spyder. At the time, cinemagoers knew him only for East of Eden (also 1955), though the actor subsequently became better known for Rebel Without a Cause when it was released a few months later.

By a curious twist of fate, DeHaan will once again follow in the footsteps of James Franco, who in 2001 portrayed Dean in a superior telepic which helped give the actor an early career boost. Franco went on to play Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man films, the same role DeHaan has signed up for in the forthcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Life, which is based on a screenplay by Luke Davies and whose budget is reported to be between $10m and $15m, is expected to shoot in early 2014.