Justin Kurtzel directing The True History Of The Kelly Gang

Fresh off the back of his adaptation of Macbeth, Justin Kurzel is set to tackle another literary masterpiece, with IF.com reporting that the director will bring Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning The True History Of The Kelly Gang to the big screen.

The film will see Kurtzel re-team with Snowtown screenwriter Shaun Grant to adapt the bloody Australian saga, which follows the life of legendary bushranger Ned Kelly as he attempts to keep one step ahead of the law. The infamous outlaw was last portrayed by Heath Ledger back in 2003 in Gregor Jordan 's biopic Ned Kelly.

Carey's novel is narrated by Kelly himself, scribbling his story in highly descriptive but only fleetingly-literate prose. The effect is a highly lyrical, adding to the sense of myth that has long accompanied the Kelly name, and it will be interesting to see how Kurzel recreates that for a the movie-going public. No release date has been confirmed at this stage.

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