The book, an analogy about the Vietnam War, was published in 1974 and spawned two sequels, while it was also turned into a graphic novel.

Director Ridley Scott had previously been attached to the film back in 2008, when it was optioned by 20th Century Fox executives, but his attempts to bring it to life on the big screen failed and Richard Edlunch, who owns the rights to the story, subsequently decided to take the project in a different direction.

Now the Magic Mike star is set to lead the cast of the latest development, which will be penned by Prometheus screenwriter Jon Spaihts, reports Deadline.com.

Executives at Warner Bros. and Sony are currently fighting to land the rights to the project.