THE rugged North-East landscape is to provide the backdrop for a Hollywood blockbuster telling the story of a Roman legion said to have disappeared near Hadrian's Wall.

Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald has revealed he is to direct a film version of The Eagle of the Ninth, a historical novel for children featuring a Roman soldier posted to serve on the wall.

The Rosemary Sutcliff story was inspired by the disappearance of the Legio IX Hispana (Ninth Legion), said to have occurred as the soldiers marched north from Hadrian's Wall to battle Caledonian tribes in 117 AD.

Mr Macdonald, a Scot whose films include Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland, said: "I am definitely going to return to Scotland to direct a film version of The Eagle of the Ninth. It is a book that I absolutely loved as a child.

"It is a part of history that has never been seen on the big screen before and that is why it is so exciting."

Mr Macdonald said he would have American actors playing the Romans and Scots playing the northern tribes.

He said: "The idea is to create a Scottish Western."

The book follows a young Roman soldier's search for the truth about the disappearance of his father's legion in northern Britain.

In the foreword, Ms Sutcliff said her story was based on the disappearance of the Legio IX Hispana and the discovery of a wingless Roman eagle standard.

The book, published in 1954, sold more than one million copies and was made into a BBC television series and a Radio 4 drama.

The disappearance of the legion is disputed by some historians because documents suggest it fought elsewhere in the Roman Empire after its supposed demise.

The film project is backed by Duncan Kenworthy, the man behind Four Weddings and a Funeral, and production is expected to begin next year.

It follows a series of high-profile Roman-themed hits, including Russell Crowe's film Gladiator and BBC drama series Rome.