Max Payne film confirmed

It's been four years since developer Remedy first announced that Max Payne was getting an adventure on the big screen - and since then, we've heard nothing.

But now the project is back on track, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which says 20th Century Fox is working with Collision Entertainment and Firm Films to produce Max Payne: the movie.

There's no word on who's set to star or who will direct the film, but apparently it'll be a Dirty Harry-style movie with a storyline that will focus on Max's history and origins.

"I think this is a real actor's part because although the story will have action and intrigue, at its core it's a story about a man who loses everything in life that's dear to him," said co-producer Scott Faye.

He also reckons it won't be too tricky to adapt the title for the big screen: "Unlike a novel, video games by nature leave gaps in the story, which allows filmmakers an opportunity to flesh out the story and fill those holes in a meaningful way," Faye observed.

Max Payne is the second videogame adaptation to be announced by 20th Century Fox in recent weeks, following the studio's earlier revelation that Vin Diesel will play Agent 47 in the forthcoming Hitman film.

Although Remedy isn't working on another Max Payne game (as regular readers know, the developer is hard at work on action-adventure title Alan Wake for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. You can read a preview of the game here), Take-Two is thought to be quietly sorting out a third instalment in the series.