The Last King of Scotland and State of Play director Kevin Macdonald is heading home for his next feature. The Scottish filmmaker (fun fact: he’s the grandson of legendary filmmaker Emmerich Pressburger) has signed on to helm The Eagle of the Ninth, a Roman military drama set in the 2nd century AD. The story follows a wounded Roman soldier and his loyal Celtic slave as they try to solve the mystery of the Roman 9th Legion. The famous 9th Legion (which is also the subject of another upcoming film, Neil Marshall’s Centurion), was a fearsome brigade of Roman soldiers that vanished after marching into the untamed Highlands of Scotland, and their disappearance is set some fifteen years before the start of the film. The Last King of Scotland co-writer Jeremy Brock penned the script.

Jamie Bell has already signed on to play the slave while Channing Tatum has been offered the lead role of the Roman soldier, though the latter has yet to accept the part. I’m really interested to see Tatum play something besides the modern brooding hunky guy roles he’s been getting thus far. This would be a good film for him to show some range, so I’m hoping he commits. The talent behind it so far isn’t bad, either. We’ll keep monitoring this one to see how it develops.

Tags: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Kevin Macdonald, The Eagle of the Ninth