Paul Greengrass Set to Direct George Orwell's '1984'

'The Bourne Ultimatum' helmer will bring the classic tale of state surveillance and Big Brother to the big screen

Paul Greengrass is looking to bring George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 back to the big screen.

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the British director is taking charge of the Sony Pictures project, with Scott Rudin on board to produce with Gina Rosenblum. James Graham, who wrote the book for the Finding Neverland musical, will take on writing duties. With the project still in its early stages, no actors have yet been cast. Deadline first reported the news.

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Orwell's tale tells of a world where due to a perpetual war, state surveillance is omnipresent. The novel coined the term "Big Brother" and the themes are an eerie reflection of the modern-day controversy of drones, CCTV, phone hacking and government infringement of privacy laws.

Michael Radford brought the novel to the screen, appropriately enough in 1984, and the film starred John Hurt as Winston Smith.

Greengrass worked with Rudin on the critically acclaimed Captain Philips and will also work together on the Martin Luther King movie Memphis. The two are also circling Agent Storm, the story of a CIA double agent for Sony.

Greengrass will be keeping himself busy with another installment, his third, of the phenomenally successful Bourne franchise, with Matt Damon primed to return.