Variety is exclusively reporting that Niki Caro has signed a deal with Amblin Partners to direct Beautiful Ruins.

Beautiful Ruins is set in an Italian seaside village in 1962, where a charming young man runs a hotel with no guests, until one day an American starlet, fresh from the set of Cleopatra, appears and captures his heart. Five decades later in Hollywood, a jaded assistant to a once-powerhouse producer gets caught up in the magic of the Italian’s story, and takes it upon herself to find a happy ending.

The film is an adaptation of Jess Walter’s New York Times bestselling novel, which is being adapted by Mark Hammer and Chiara Atik from an earlier draft by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Amblin will be making the film with Neal Street Productions, with Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes and Julie Paster serving as producers, and Nicolas Brown serving as executive producer. Amblin Partners’ President of Production Jeb Brody will oversee for the studio, along with Vice President of Creative Affairs Mia Maniscalco.