Intermedia announced today (Dec 16) that Spitfire Pictures, Guy East and Nigel Sinclair's new production company with which it has an overall, non-exclusive deal, is to develop the First World War script The Great War (working title). Larry Ramin, who won an Emmy Award earlier this year for HBO's Winston Churchill drama The Gathering Storm, will write the screenplay with Sinclair and East handling producing duties alongside Emmy and Golden Globe winner Tony To, the co-executive producer and director of segment 8 of Band of Brothers. Intermedia's president of worldwide production Basil Iwanyk and creative executive Sarah Harvey will oversee the project for the company.

The Great War is an epic tale told through the overlapping lives of four soldiers during the final years of the conflict. 'This war eventually involved two million American soldiers, 400,000 of whom became casualties. It inspired great literature, it ended the romantic notion of war as a gentleman's pursuit; it destroyed the European nation state as it then existed as well as many of the monarchies, and provided countless tales of heroism, suffering, courage and endurance. Our story follows four individuals through this carnage and glory,' Sinclair said in a statement.

Sinclair and East, co-founders of Intermedia, serve as co-chairmen of Spitfire and oversee all aspects of the company. Spitfire's first feature, Masked And Anonymous, will receive its world premiere at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. The picture was directed by Larry Charles, whose credits include the small screen hits Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld, and stars Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and Luke Wilson.

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