Polanski to Direct Pompeii

Polanski to Direct Pompeii

LONDON, February 2/PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski has signed on to
direct Pompeii, the No.1 bestselling novel by Robert Harris. It is set to be
his biggest undertaking yet with a projected budget of US$130 million. Robert
Harris is writing the script and filming will begin in Italy this summer.

'I got seduced by the writing,' Polanski told today's
Variety. 'In general terms, when someone tells me to make a movie set in
ancient times, I say it's not my cup of tea. But I liked that it was a
thriller and I have read all of his books and there is such minute detail. He
goes very far into the research.' Polanski is also attracted by the
similarities to his movie Chinatown: 'There is corruption in connection with
water.'

Robert Harris says 'Roman Polanski's Chinatown was a strong
influence on me when I was writing Pompeii, so I was especially delighted
when he rang me early in the New Year and said he wanted to turn it into a
movie. I can't think of a better director to bring the book to life both
visually, and in terms of its plot. I'm also particularly pleased that this
will be a European-led production, filmed on location in Europe.'

Pompeii tells the story of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in
A.D. 79 through the eyes of a young engineer, Marcus Attilius, who is sent
out to repair the greatest aqueduct in the Roman Empire, which brings water
to 250,000 people on the Bay of Naples. Attilius not only has to fight the
corrupt forces which control the town of Pompeii, but ultimately the
overwhelming power of Nature itself.

Pompeii will be produced by Polanski and Robert Benmussa of RP
Productions, along with Alain Sarde, the same team that produced the Academy
Award winning The Pianist.

'Pompeii will be very dependent on visual effects,' Polanski
notes. 'It's always a challenge to do something a little different, but
that's what keeps me going.'

Source: The Random House Group Ltd

Contact: Emma Mitchell, Hutchinson Publicity Director, Random House, +44-(0)207-840-8610, emitchell@randomhouse.co.uk

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