Rome's Cinecitta studios are continuing to attract a slew of Hollywood productions, the latest of which are Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic, and Steven Soderbergh Ocean's Twelve.

The Royal Tenenbaums director Wes Anderson's new project, The Life Acquatic, is a comedy adventure that centres around an oceanographer, who was inspired by real-life French legend Jacques Cousteau.

Production will start in September at Cinecitta, with Bill Murray in the lead role as Steve Zissou, alongside Anjelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum and Owen Wilson.

The film, written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach, is being produced by Scott Rudin, Anderson, Barry Mendel, and Enzo Sisti. Buena Vista will distribute in the US.

Meanwhile, the widely-anticipated Ocean's Twelve is expected to shoot at the studios in early 2004. Steven Soderbergh's follow up to Ocean's Eleven will reunite the stellar cast from the first film, including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia and Brad Pitt.

Written by George Nolfi and Soderbergh, the picture is produced by Clooney, Soderbergh and Jerry Weintraub, for Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Productions.

The Life Acquatic and Ocean's Twelve are just two of the latest productions to be attracted to the Cinecitta studios, which were built by Benito Mussolini in 1937.

Cinecitta international marketing director Carol Andre-Smith says productions can shave up to 30% off their budgets by shooting in Cinecitta rather than London.

Productions that have travelled to Cinecitta over the last 18 months include Exorcist: The Beginning, Mel Gibson's The Passion and Brian Helgeland's The Sin Eater.