First published in 1980, Waiting For The Barbarians, according to the industry website, “follows a magistrate (to be played by the Oscar-winning Rylance) of a far-flung border outpost as the reckless behavior of the ’Empire’ he serves threatens to trigger a Barbarian invasion. He begins to question imperialism when he saves a young ‘barbarian’ (one of the indigenous people in the country) and realizes that all is not what it appears to be. After mounting a harrowing escape, he is arrested by his own people and thrown in jail only to escape and eventually become an inspiration and leader to others.”

The book, which has been adapted by the novelist for the film, is the winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for fiction.

No timeline has been announced.

Rylance won Tony Awards for his performances in Twelfth Night, Jerusalem and Boeing-Boeing.