London Boulevard, one ofKen Bruen's early non-series crime novels, is moving toward the silver screen. Variety reported Friday that Colin Farrell and and Keira Knightley have signed on to star in the film. It will be the directing debut for William Monaghan, who wrote the screenplay for Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," for which he won an Oscar.

The book tells the story of Mitchell, an ex-con who tries to go straight and stay clear of some nefarious friends by taking a job in the mansion of Lillian Palmer, a fading movie actress. One assumes that Farrell signed on as Mitchell and Knightley as Palmer, though some rewriting by Monaghan was in order. No matter how talented, it's hard to see the 23-year-old Knightley pulling off "fading movie actress." Instead, she's billed as a "reclusive young actress."

It's among the first of Bruen's novels to make it this far on the path toward the screen, though it won't be the last. The author took a moment to answer a few quick questions about the news:

Are you involved with "London Boulevard" at all, or did you simply sell the rights and move on?

I get to talk to Bill Monaghan and that's pretty fine with me.

Any thoughts about it moving to the movie screen, or about Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell?.

It begins shooting in London in May and I think the cast are terrific.

What is the status of any other movie projects in the pipeline?

The Guards due soon and Blitz with Jude Law.

Those last two are parts of his Jack Taylor and Sgt. Brant series, respectively.

According to the Internet Movie Database, "London Boulevard" is scheduled for a 2010 release in the UK. Few other details are available.

Labels: crime fiction, Ken Bruen, movies