Steve Coogan will play the title role of James Boswell in an adaptation of the West End play Boswell For The Defence. Highland Film Group is in Toronto handling international sales.

Gregor Jordan will direct from Patrick Edgeworth’s adaptation of his own play. Mark Pennell and Steve Chasman will produce, while Armyan Bernstein serves as executive producer.

Production is set for 2015 in Europe on the period legal drama from Chasman’s Current Entertainment about the eponymous Scottish lawyer who takes on the case of a female convict sentenced to death.

“Whether it be Lincoln or Thatcher, bringing a historical figure to life is always a challenge, but Steve’s [Coogan] extraordinary ability to blend humour and pathos make him the perfect artist to bring such a complex character like Boswell to the screen,” said producers Pennell and Chasman. “We are excited to see him make this role his own.”