Ghost "Right-er"

Director Roman Polanski's next film will be based on a recently published book:



Tatiana Siegel of Variety:

Roman Polanski will direct political thriller "The Ghost" as his next feature.

Robert Harris will team with Polanski to adapt Harris' book of the same name, published last month by Simon & Schuster for the big screen.

Story centers on a ghostwriter who is hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister. He uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.

Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde will produce the film, slated to begin shooting in Europe next fall.

Polanski had been working on the $100 million epic "Pompeii" for 18 months with frequent collaborators Benmussa and Sarde, but he jettisoned that project in September.

Summit Intl., which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski and the producers, will represent worldwide rights to "The Ghost."

"I have been looking for a political thriller to direct for some time, and 'The Ghost' could not be more perfect," Polanski said. "Robert has constructed a novel with such suspense, it is hard to put it down."

Harris noted that most of the story takes place in an oceanfront house during the middle of winter, which he dubbed "classic Polanski territory"...

Polanski's skills serve any genre--given that, and all that political thrillers offer this should be good...