Javier Bardem is putting his best face forward…

The 45-year-old Spanish actor has reportedly signed on to star opposite Charlize Theron in The Last Face, according to Deadline.com.

Directed by Sean Penn, the love story will be shot in Africa. It centers a doctor (Theron) doing humanitarian relief work in Africa amidst violent political conflicts in the region. She meets another doctor (Bardem) who is doing the same work, and the story revolves around tough moral decisions that must be made during time of civil unrest.

The film will also star Blue Is The Warmest Color’s Adèle Exarchopoulos, who is expected to play a journalist.

Bardem, Penn and Theron are all Academy Award winners.

The project was originally written by Erin Dignam, who had a small part in Penn’s 1995 film The Crossing Guard.

Bardem recently finished work on the spy thriller The Gunman for Penn.