Christoph Waltz, riding high on his recent Oscar win for Inglourious Basterds, will make his feature directorial debut on a Fox International Productions romantic comedy.

Waltz wrote the screenplay to Auf Und Davon and is expected to take a lead role in the German production about a ruthless dating show hostess who falls for a contestant.

Gabriela Bacher, who oversees Fox International Productions in Germany, brought in the project, which is loosely based on Meike Winnemuth and Peter Praschl’s novel Auf Und Davon.

“While Christoph’s rise to international stardom will continue, we are very proud to collaborate with him on his very own project, set in his home country, for him to debut as feature film director,” Fox International Productions president Sanford Panitch said.

“This love story reflects Christoph’s formidable sense of humour,” Bacher said. “I am very proud to work with him as we begin to get off the ground in local production in Germany.”

Waltz won the best supporting actor Academy Award on March 7 for his portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.