Shooting has started inRome's Cinecitta Studios on 20th Century Fox's Sin Eater, the first project to go into production throughformer PolyGram Filmed Entertainment chief Michael Kuhn's new productionoutfit.

Directed by Brian Helgeland(A Knight's Tale), Sin Eater is the story of a mysterious character who exorcisesthe sins of dead people and stars Heath Ledger (Helgeland's lead in AKnight's Tale) in the role ofa young rebellious priest. It also features Peter Weller (Robocop) and two more A Knight's Tale alumni Mark Addy and Shannyn Sossamon.

Producers of the $38m movieare Craig Baumgarten and Adam Merims of Baumgarten Merims Productions alongwith Helgeland and Tim Van Rellim. Kuhn's N1 Film Productions GmbH &Co is the production entity behind the film and Kuhn is listed as an executiveproducer alongside Thomas M Hammel (From Hell).

The movie is the first fruitof a multi-picture distribution deal Kuhn struck with Fox last year, which willsee the US major distribute up to ten films from Kuhn over a four year-periodin North America, the UK, Italy, Germany and Latin America. Fox picked up therest of the world from Kuhn on Sin Eater after it had sold him the picture.

Sin Eater started shooting in Rome on January 14 and has seenacclaimed set designer Milien Kreka Kljakovic (Delicatessen) reconstruct the interior of the Vatican in Cinecitta'sfamous Teatro 5, the largest sound stage in Europe which was famously used byItalian director Federico Fellini.

Post-production is set to becarried out by Ridley and Tony Scott's London-based outfit The Mill. The filmis scheduled for an August release in the US.

Meanwhile, 20th Century FoxItalia has confirmed that it will soon start producing Italian pictures as wellas co-producing European projects. At the moment, 20th Century Fox is alsoshooting in Italy comedy Just Married directed by Andrew Bergman and Shawn Levy with Christian Kane and Brittany Murphy.