Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, UK actor Robert Carlyle anddirector Antonia Bird have teamed on a black comedy horror film titled The Meat Trade.

A modernre-working of the story of Edinburgh body snatchers Burke and Hare, theproduction is being readied for a spring 2005 shoot through 4Way Pictures, theBritish company the trio founded with Mark Cousins, who will produce.

Set in Edinburgh,Welsh's home town and the setting for Trainspotting,the film will tell the story of small-time gangster brothers who deal in humanorgans in the new international transplant market. Kees Kasander, PeterGreenaway's regular producer, is sharing producing duties with Cousins.

"CombiningWelsh's trademark provocations and superb storytelling with horror andoutrageous comedy, The Meat Tradeintroduces Sweeney Todd to Trainspotting,"the company said in a statement.

Developed withfunding from Scottish Screen, 4Way aims to start shooting next year after Birdhas directed Abraham's Daughter forUS company Greenestreet's horror label,Raw Nerve.