Peter Weir, the director behind Master and Commander, is taking his sea legs to shore as he has now committed to helm Shantaram for Warner Bros. Pictures.
The film is an adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts story and it will star Johnny Depp who will be playing an Australian heroin addict convicted of robbery who escapes to India, where he reinvents himself as a doctor. When he gets involved in smuggling and gunrunning, his adventurous life leads him to Afghanistan and battles with Russians. Roberts wrote the initial draft.
Weir is developing the script with screenwriter Eric Roth as production is expected to begin late next year with a 2007 release in mind.
