French production company Nord-Ouest has bought the film rights to the novel The Procedure, written by Dutch author Harry Mulisch.

Previous books by Mulisch have resulted in features such as The Discovery of Heaven (2000), directed by Jeroen Krabbé, and the Oscar winning The Assault (1984), directed by Fons Rademakers.

The Procedure, to be directed by Michel Spinoza, tells the complicated tale of a bio-scientist who discovers the origin of life and becomes a candidate for the Nobel-Prize.

Mulisch book was published in 1998 to excellent reviews in the Dutch media. The film, which is not yet cast, is expected to premiere in 2005 and will be in French.

The book was published by Amsterdam-based De Bezige Bij.