Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald has signed on to direct The Eagle of the Ninth, according to an announcement in Cannes 2008 by Focus Features. Macdonald won an Oscar for his documentary One Day in September and directed Forest Whitaker to his Academy Award for Best Actor in The Last King of Scotland. Scotland co-writer Jeremy Brock adapted the screenplay for Eagle from Rosemary’s novel , originally published in 1954, which is set in the second century in Roman-ruled Britain, telling the tale of a young Roman’s search for the truth about the disappearance of his father’s legion.  Macdonald is currently completing production on State of Play, starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. ‘Pre-production’ on The Eage of the Ninth is set to begin at the end of the year.