US management and production company Little Studio Films has concluded a two-picture directing deal with Munich-based British director Peter Claridge for two of its feature projects - action thriller Terminal Leave and the romantic comedy The Vedova.

The Vedova, which is set entirely in Italy and in the style of Michael Radford's Il Postino, is being planned as a co-production between Little Studio Films and Italy's Progetto Immagine, while Terminal Leave is a spy thriller set in Catalina Island. The producers are in negotiations with Adrian Paul and Mickey Rourke for the two leads on the latter film, and production for both features is planned for 2004.

Claridge began his film career in the mid 1970s at the BBC's Ealing Film Studios and was a pioneer in computer graphics, working on the special effects of Superman III and The Emerald Forest as well as hundreds of commercials and music videos.

Claridge went on to co-found the computer animation company Scanline, based at Munich's Bavaria Studios.

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