EaglePictures has picked up Italian distribution rights to The Saint, a Euros10m English-language picture starring Bad Boys II's Jordi Molla.

The historic action movie, which is written and directedby Italy's Antonello Bellucco, tells the story of Saint Antonio of Padua, apriest who was born in Lisbon and died in 1231 at the age of 36.

The Saint isproduced by Rome's Blue Star Movies and AB Film, and will start shooting inFebruary 2005 in Italy and Spain. Blue Star holds international distributionrights.

Meanwhile,Blue Spice - Blue Star's joint venture with the UK's Spice Factory - is lining up Fourteen Apes In A Box,a Euros 5m English-language picture from hot commercials director Ago Panini.

Written byDale Overton, Fourteen Apes is a romantic comedy-noir set in theAmerican countryside. It interweaves five stories around the theme of"what you see isn't always what you get" and is scheduled to shoot inthe UK by July 2005.

BlueSpice's upcoming production slate also includes Mustang Sally, a romanticcomedy-road movie which is due to go into production in the UK in March orApril 2005.

Producedby US-based Cameo FJ Entertainment, the $22m film is written and directed byMalcolm Clarke, who earned a Best documentary Oscar nomination for PrisonerOf Paradise in 2002.

Cameo'sFrancesco Juilland, Blue Spice's Pete Maggi and Michael Cowan are producing thefilm, which is about a woman who is kidnapped by bank robbers and becomes theirgetaway driver. Warner Bros has US distribution rights.