Washington, Sept 06: American actor/director Tom Cruise and film studio United Artists have been able to obtain the rights to the serial-killer thriller ‘The Monster of Florence’.

Cruise himself will possibly star and produce the movie, revealed the author of the bestseller, Douglas Preston.

The signing of the contract with UA for the big-screen adaptation was revealed by Preston and Italo journo Mario Spezi to Corriere della Sera.

The movie will be based on their reconstruction of eight grisly double homicides, believed to have been committed single-handedly between 1968 and 1985 in and around the Italian Renaissance gem.

"It`s the biggest movie deal in my life," Variety magazine quoted Preston as telling the leading Italo daily in a front-page story.

"The film will have Florence and the Chianti as protagonists: two of the locations most beloved by Americans," added Spezi, a Florentine crime reporter and "Monster" contributor, to Corriere.

United Artists’ representatives could not be reached immediately for comments.

Spezi further revealed that the script will be written by Chris McQuarrie ("Valkyrie"), and that Cruise will produce and decide whether he wants to star once he reads it.

The "Monster of Florence" case had previously inspired the Thomas Harris sequel "Hannibal."

Previous Preston tomes made into movies include thriller "The Relic."

IANS