Paul Greengrass is attached to direct an adaptation of George Orwell‘s classic novel, 1984. Published in 1949, the story is set in a dystopian future run by a tyrannical government with omnipresent surveillance capabilities: “Big Brother is watching you.” According to Deadline, Scott Rudin (Captain Phillips) and Gina Rosenblum will produce. James Graham will write the script.

I love the book and can’t wait to see what Greengrass does with the material. Greengrass is a natural fit for 1984 with his demonstrated skepticism of the powers that be. The timing is right for another 1984 adaptation, given the current political climate surrounding surveillance. I bet the filmmakers will reconfigure the setting so it’s in the future, but it would be interesting if they instead opted for a more literal adaptation with an alternate-timeline 1984. Read the book synopsis after the jump.