Ed Pressman is preparing to make a film of the London stage play LiesHave Been Told aboutRobert Maxwell, the British media tycoon and pension fund swindler who vanishedin mysterious circumstances 15 years ago.

Pressman secured film rights with one of the play's producers DaleDjerassi, who was formerly married to Maxwell's daughter Isabel. The producersare currently in London to meet with directors and screenwriters.

Rod Beacham's one-man West End play charts Maxwell's rise frompoverty in Slovakia to second world war Army captain to larger-than-lifeBritish media baron whose empire included the tabloid newspaper The DailyMirror.

Maxwell disappeared overboard his yacht while on holiday in theCanary Islands in November 1991 and a coroner concluded he died by accidentaldrowning. Investigators subsequently learned he had misappropriated millionsfrom his companies and their pension plans. His final days remain shrouded inmystery, with rumours of suicide or assassination by secret agents or theRussian mafia.

"From his humble beginnings, to his bravery on thebattlefield in World War II, to boardroom battles on both sides of the Atlanticto his mysterious death when he went overboard from his yacht, Robert Maxwell'slife and death are a tale of epic proportions," Djerassi said.

Djerassi's producer credits on documentaries include Oil On Ice, about the impact of oil drilling on theArctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and Nada Sera Como Antes (Nothing Will Be As It Was), about the return of jazz musiciansFlora Purim and Airto Moreira to Brazil.

Pressman's credits include Badlands, Sisters, Reversal OfFortune, and BlueSteel.