He was once known as the king of 80s high concept horror, then reinvented himself as a 1990s indie auteur. Now in his 60s, David Cronenberg seems to be embracing more traditional styles of storytelling: he's in talks to direct a political thriller based on a novel by Robert Ludlum, creator of Jason Bourne.

Denzel Washington has already signed on to play a US spy in The Matarese Circle, which is based on Ludlum's 1979 book about two competing agents from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain who find themselves forced to work together.

In the story, a mysterious group of criminals called the Matarese have invaded the highest echelons of the US government, and it is in the interest of both spies to stop them.

The film is seen as the first in a potential franchise for studio MGM, although the company has not yet picked up the rights to Ludlum's 1997 sequel The Matarese Countdown.

Cronenberg's last film was last year's well-received Russian gangster thriller Eastern Promises, which garnered an Oscar nomination for star Viggo Mortensen.