Danish director Ole Bornedal, who directed 1994 chiller Nightwatch and its English-language remake for Miramax in 1996, is set to direct The Lady And The Thief with long-time collaborator Michael Obel of Thura Film producing.

Obel says he is close to securing German, French and Danish co-producers on the $8m project, which is also likely to be backed by Danish Film Institute. The film is a romantic road movie about a high society woman who decides to run away from her life in London to the south of France with a thief who saves her from suicide.

Bornedal is also developing an adaption of Norwegian novel Dina with Nordisk Film and original script Paradise In Pain for Obel.