Becker Films International(BFI) has signed off on four deals for Control,the upcoming biopic about Joy Division front man Ian Curtis. Paradiso has thefilm in Benelux, La Fabrique de Film in France, Momentum Pictures in the UK and sister companyDendy in Australia and New Zealand.

"It seems to have struck achord with distributors," BFI president Reiko Bradley told Screendaily today.

The feature film debut forAnton Corbijn, who is renowned for the music videos he has made with some ofthe biggest names in music, is scheduled to go into production in April in the UK. Additional shooting could happen in Luxembourg.

The producers are OrianWilliams and Todd Eckert of production house Claraflora and Bradley's colleagueat Becker, Ian Canning, will get an executive producer credit.

The script has been writtenby Matt Greenhalgh and is based on the book TouchingFrom A Distance - Ian Curtis & Joy Division, by Deborah Curtis who waswidowed in 1980 when the 23-year-old Ian Curtis committed suicide on the eve ofwhat was to have been Joy Division's first US tour.

Samantha Morton is playingDeborah Curtis, who will get a co-producer credit alongside Factory Recordsco-founder and former Joy Division manager Tony Wilson. Casting of the otherkey roles is underway.

"The story focuses on therelationship between Ian Curtis and Joy Division, how he was torn between hiscommitment to his wife and child and the rock journalist he fell in love with,and his struggle with epilepsy," says Bradley. "We have got the rights to allthe Joy Division songs so the soundtrack will be incredible and will attractlots of attention."

She admits she was notparticularly familiar with Joy Division, much to the consternation of some ofher film colleagues, until Becker picked up world rights to Control at AFM.