Rome-basedproduction outfit Movieweb has signed a co-production deal with France's UGC onJohn Boorman's new film, Memoirs ofHadrian.

TheEuros 21m movie is adapted from Margherite Yourcenar's historical novel of the same title, a fictionalautobiography of the Roman emperor written as a series of letters to hisnephew, Marcus Aurelius.

Spanishactress Paz Vega is currently intalks to star as the Emperor's wife in thefilm, which is written by Rospo Pallenberg and RonBase.

Italy'sRai Cinema and Istituto Luce are backing the film, with Movieweb's MassimoPacilio producing and Enzo Peri acting as creative producer.

Shooting is due totake place between Serbia and Morocco.

Meanwhile, Moviewebpicture The Shadow Dancer which starsHarvey Keitel has been sold to a raft of territories, including the UK andSpain.

UK-based Peace Archhas sold rights to Momentum for the UK and Aurum in Spain. The film has alsobeen picked up by Portugal (Lusomondo), Scandinavia (Sonet Film), Bulgaria(Tandem Film), ex-Yugoslavia (MG Film), Greece (Ave), and Israel (Forum).

In the US, the filmhas been acquired for TV broadcast by ABC Family Channel.

Written and directedby Brad Mirman, the Euros 8.5m film is a comedy drama about a man who works fora publisher in London and dreams of becoming a novelist. His life changes whenhe is sent to a small village in Tuscany to meet a reclusive writer.

The Shadow Dancer is produced by Rome's Movieweb, together with theUK's Studio Eight and Close Up Films.

Movieweb'sinternational slate also includes Oliver Parker's Fade to Black, which was adapted from Italian writer-directorDavide Ferrario's thriller. UK-based Fragile Films' Barnaby Thompson is producing with Jonathan Olsberg, while Movieweb is co-producing. Odyssey Entertainment ishandling international sales on the film, which is currently in post.

Moviewebwas created in 1999 as a subsidiary company of Convergenza,a Luxembourg-basedinvestment fund, with the help of major Italianand European banking groups, insurance companies and private investors.The company was founded with a capital of Euros 200m