Ridley Scott’s certainly not planning on many holidays in his future. Not content with editing his latest, crime drama American Gangster and preparing to shoot spy epic Penetration with Leonardo DiCaprio, he’s just attached himself to yet another possible project -  an adaptation of Tom Rob Smith’s novel Child 44.

As usual, it’s a book that hasn’t even hit the shelves yet, but Smith’s tome follows a secret police officer being framed by one of his fellow coppers for treason. But while on the run with his wife, he stumbles on a series of child killings and vows to investigate them, even if it means he’ll be captured and killed.

It sounds like the sort of dark, complicated material that Sir Rid thrives on, so we’re not surprised that he’s chosen to work on the adaptation.

But we are surprised that Smith’s usual job is writing for the likes of Dream Team and Doctors. Whether he’ll be adapting his own novel is another matter. And with the writer’s job still vacant, it’ll be a while before this one reaches the screen.