Senator International has acquired worldwide sales rights excluding France and Spain for The Bridge Of San Luis Rey, an epic new adaptation of Thornton Wilder's 1927 novel which will star an impressive ensemble led by Robert De Niro, Kathy Bates, Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel. Mary McGuckian, the Irish director of This Is The Sea and Best, has written the screenplay and will direct.

Producers are Samuel Hadida of Davis Film, whose distribution company Metropolitan Filmexport has French rights, Denise O'Dell of Kanzaman SA who has Spanish rights and McGuckian of Pembridge Pictures.

The cast will also include F Murray Abraham, Geraldine Chaplin, Goya Award-winner Pilar Lopez De Ayala (Mad Love) and twin actor/film-makers Mark and Michael Polish. Shooting is scheduled to start in April.

Set in 18th century Peru, the film is the quest for the reason behind the deaths of five people caused by the mysterious collapse of a bridge.

Senator International and its new executive vice president Pierre Weisbein negotiated the deal with Hadida and Pembridge Pictures.The fiilm will draw equity financing from the UK as well as British tax incentive funds arranged by Scion Film Financing and Movision.