The Last King of Scotland helmer Kevin Macdonald has lined up the epic Roman drama The Eagle of the Ninth as his next project after he finishes the Brad Pitt-starrer State of Play which he’s preparing to shoot for Universal, reports Variety.
“Eagle of the Ninth,” which Macdonald plans to direct early next year, is adapted by Jeremy Brock, co-writer of “Last King of Scotland,” from the classic 1954 teen novel by Rosemary Sutcliff. Producer is Duncan Kenworthy (Notting Hill).
Set in Britain during the 2nd century A.D., it’s the story of a wounded Roman soldier and his Celtic slave who embark on a perilous journey into the far north to discover what happened to the Ninth Legion, which went on a mission into the wilds of Scotland 15 years earlier and never came back.
The soldier’s father was the legion’s general, and his disappearance, along with the loss of the legion’s symbol, the eponymous eagle, cast a stain upon his family.
Shooting will take place in Scotland and locations in Eastern Europe, most likely Romania.
