David Cronenberg, seen in Paris in 2008, is to write and direct the film adaptation to Don DeLillo's novel Cosmopolis.David Cronenberg, seen in Paris in 2008, is to write and direct the film adaptation to Don DeLillo's novel Cosmopolis. (Michel Euler/AP/Canadian Press)

Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg is taking a break from dramatic thrillers to adapt noted American contemporary author Don DeLillo's tightly focused novel Cosmopolis.

Producer Paulo Branco's Paris-based production house Alfama Films revealed news of the film project on the weekend. The company is set to co-produce it along with Cronenberg's Toronto firm Antenna Ltd.

Cosmopolis, which received mixed reviews for DeLillo upon its release in 2003, tracks an unconventional day in the life of a 28-year-old multimillionaire named Eric Packer.

The story follows Packer, a financial wizard, as he attempts to cross the city in his stretch limo which — for reasons that include a presidential visit, a public protest and a celebrity funeral — gets stuck in Manhattan traffic, and forces him to conduct his business and personal affairs from the vehicle.

Cronenberg is slated to write and direct the project, with filming to take place in New York and Toronto in 2010.

Horror master Cronenberg has most recently gained critical and fan acclaim for his more mainstream thrillers Eastern Promises and A History of Violence. He has also been tied to a forthcoming adaptation of Robert Ludlum's spy tale The Matarese Circle, starring Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise.