Rock photographer and musicvideo director Anton Corbijn is preparing for an early 2006 shoot for his firstfeature film, tentatively titled Control, about the life of the late JoyDivision singer Ian Curtis.

Producers Orian Williams andTodd Eckert of US-based Claraflora first announced the project in January andCorbijn tells ScreenDaily.com that they are currently nailing downfinancing and starting the casting process.

Corbijn expects to shoot Controlfor up to two months in early 2006 in Manchester, Macclesfield, and surroundingareas. Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, himself a mythical figure in theManchester music scene (as captured in Michael Winterbottom's 24-Hour PartyPeople), will co-produce as will Ian Curtis's widow, Deborah Curtis.

Deborah Curtis's book TouchingFrom a Distance is the basis for the script (by Matt Greenhalgh), butCorbijn adds, "It's broader than that." He adds, "It's not a Joy Division film,it's a film about Ian as an artist."

No actors have beenconfirmed yet, and Corbijn admits that that finding an actor to play such anidolized figure as Curtis is quite a challenge. "A lot of people have expressedinterest but we haven't found the right people yet," he says. Corbijn revealsthat several American actors have expressed interest in playing Curtis, but thedirector says simply, "that would be wrong."

Unlike his music video work,Corbijn doesn't plan to serve as his own cinematographer. He does have concreteideas about the look of the film already: "It will be shot on film, most likelyin black and white," he reveals. "Most people's memories of that era are inblack and white. Joy Division specifically seems like such a black-and-whiteband." (Corbijn used B&W images in his famous 1988 video for Joy Division'sAtmosphere that featured hooded monks carrying a giant photograph of IanCurtis on a deserted beach.)

As for the sounds of Control(the title was inspired by Joy Division's classic She's Lost Control),the film-makers have the rights to Joy Division's music. The band's successorNew Order is also involved.

The subject is close toCorbijn's heart: as a young, music-obsessed photographer in 1979, he moved fromHolland to England to be closer to Joy Division, his favourite band. Two weekslater he convinced the group to let him do a photo shoot, despite his lack ofcredentials.

That 1979 photo can be seenon Corbijn's new Director's Label DVD, devoted to his career so far. TheDVD includes several dozen of his award-winning music videos for artists suchas U2, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, and Nick Cave, along with commentariesand a 40-minute documentary about Corbijn."

Corbijn will be doing thekeynote discussion at RESFEST London (at the National Film Theatre) onSaturday, October 1.

For more on Anton Corbijn, seethis week's Screen International.