DANNY Boyle has confirmed he has started work on the much anticipated sequel to his cult classic Trainspotting.

The Radcliffe-born director has said he is currently in Edinburgh working on the follow up to the 1996 film, which told the story of heroin addicts in the city and starred Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle.

The 59-year-old, who won a best director Oscar in 2008 for his work on Slumdog Millionaire, says the city is much changed since he was last there.

"We're up in Scotland filming Trainspotting 2 just now," he wrote in a post on the Humans of Edinburgh Facebook page.

"I think what I love most about what I do is the variety, and being able to do something new every day. I get to meet such amazing people all the time.

"I think everyone's fear is doing something a robot can do, and getting stuck doing something repetitive.

"I feel very fortunate and grateful to be able to make films, and to be able to always have a choice in what I do.

"Coming back to Edinburgh has actually been really fascinating, since filming the first Trainspotting Edinburgh has changed dramatically. You can see the gentrification massively in the city."

He is currently researching the film, with filming expected to start in May. No title or release date has yet been confirmed.