Kristen Stewart beats Jennifer Lawrence for gritty film   Play video

Shamed actress Kristen Stewart is hoping to bounce back from her infidelity scandal with a new role - she has beaten Jennifer Lawrence to the lead in forthcoming movie Lie Down in Darkness.

The Twilight star went head-to-head with The Hunger Games beauty earlier this year to land the coveted part of troubled Peyton Loftis in a big screen adaptation of acclaimed author William Styron's 1951 novel, and Stewart has emerged victorious, according to Vulture.com.

The film, about a psychologically vulnerable woman who struggles to deal with her dysfunctional family in 1950s Virginia, will be directed by Crazy Heart filmmaker Scott Cooper. Production is slated to begin next year.

The casting news will be a welcome distraction for Stewart, who has been dealing with a media fall-out after admitting to cheating on her Twilight co-star and boyfriend Robert Pattinson with married director Rupert Sanders.

Both the actress and Sanders were forced to issue apologies to their partners after photos of the lovers kissing and cuddling in a Los Angeles park were published last week.