Film rights to Alan Cumming's semi-autobiographical novel Tommy's Tale have been acquired by the newly-launched New York production company Bar Code Productions. The Scottish actor will produce the picture with Bar Code co-founders Aimee Shieh and Lisa Raden. Published by ReganBooks in the US in August, Tommy's Tale centres on the exploits of a hedonistic Londoner who begins to question his life as he approaches his 30th birthday.

"I am so excited to be working with Lisa and Aimee because I know they understand my book and will make a film that is true to it," Cumming said in a statement. "It's very important to me that the spirit and content of the book are not compromised."

Shieh and Raden, who met while both working at Miramax Films, formed Bar Code in Dec 2002. After leaving Miramax, Shieh went to work at October Films and Paramount, where she served as the director of development in the New York office. Shieh is also attached to produce a slate of independent films, including Cinetic Media-repped One Last Dance by writer-director Max Makowski and is working with WMA Independent on writer-director Eric Drilling's Long Ride Home.

Cumming currently appears in Nicholas Nickleby and will co-star as Nightcrawler in 20th Century Fox's X-Men 2, which will be released in May. Tommy's Tale will be published by Penguin UK in April.