An Evil Cradling, the best-selling book by former hostage Brian Keenan, is being turned into a film.

Parallax Independent Production, a UK company, has started shooting the story, about the kidnapping and imprisonment of Keenan and John McCarthy in Lebanon in the 1980s.

The film, which is called Blind Flight, is based on Keenan's autobiographical book. It stars Ian Hart as Keenan and Linus Roache as McCarthy and will be shot in Belfast, Glasgow and Tunisia.

"The intensity of the relationship between Brian and John has an intimacy and depth of trust that is very rare, " Roache told Screen Daily. "Ian and I are fascinated by the challenge of bringing it to the screen."

The film will mark the directorial debut of John Furse, who has also co-written the script with Keenan. McCarthy is also collaborating on the script.

"Blind Flight is both a prison drama and a love story involving the search for personal freedom in extraordinary conditions," said Furse.