Actor last seen in The Road will play Old Bull Lee in adaptation of cult novel, with Amy Adams taking the role of his wife

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

Walter Salles, the director who made his name with Central Station, and then cemented it with The Motorcycle Diaries, will return to the transportation theme with a film of Jack Kerouac's cult novel On the Road.

Francis Ford Coppola, who has been working for 30 years on the project, will produce, and shooting is due to begin later this month.

Deadline Hollywood reports that Viggo Mortensen, most recently seen in The Road, has signed on to play Old Bull Lee, the character based on William Burroughs in the semi-autobiographical novel, while Amy Adams will play his wife, Jane, a drug-addicted mother of two.

Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart and Britain's Sam Riley also feature.