Fox 2000, Scott Give Birth to Child 44

Fox 2000 has optioned screenwriter Tom Rob Smith’s debut novel Child 44 for Ridley Scott to direct and the filmmaker’s Scott Free to produce, reports Variety.

Smith’s yet-to-be published novel, due out in 2008, was sold at auction in the U.S. to Warner Books in a two-book deal that contemplates a sequel. Simon & Schuster will publish in the U.K.

Set in Stalinist Russia, the thriller revolves around an officer in the secret police who is framed by a colleague for treason. On the run with his emotionally estranged wife, he stumbles upon a series of child killings and launches his own rogue investigation, even though it means risking his own capture.

Smith, a Cambridge graduate, has written for several British television shows, including “Doctors” and “Dream Team.” He also penned the story for Cambodia’s first-ever soap opera for the BBC World Service Trust.

Scott’s next directing project is Penetration, a political drama about modern-day intelligence and terrorism that he begins shooting in August. Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the William Monahan-scripted film.

Scott is next in theaters with crime drama American Gangster, set for release in November.

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