Sally Hawkins has joined the cast of 'Godzilla'.

The 'Happy Go Lucky' actress will play a scientist in Gareth Edwards' upcoming sci-fi flick, which began shooting under Legendary and Warner Bros in Vancouver last week - reports Deadline.

Sally's role will see her join current stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Brian Cranston and Juliette Binoche.

Elizabeth, 23, previously revealed the reboot will be darker than the most recent 1998 version, which starred Matthew Broderick.

She hinted: "It's definitely going to be different. It's not light-hearted fare. It's going back to its roots and its core - the reason why the Japanese made it."

The script - based on 1950s Japanese cinema about a reptile monster - has landed in the hands of Frank Darabont after previously being worked on by David Goyer, Max Borenstein and Dave Callaham.

'Godzilla' is scheduled for release on May 16 2014.

Sally's last film appearance was in the big-screen adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel 'Great Expectations' and she can next be seen alongside Paul Rudd and Paul Giamatti in 'Almost Christmas', as well as Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine'.