According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures TV, Scott Free and German producer Tandem are going to make a miniseries based on the bestseller Pompeii by writer Robert Harris.

The project will be unveiled Monday in Cannes during the MIPTV program sales market. Roman Polanski was originally involved in this project when it was to be made for the big screen.

There is no word yet on casting or on a broadcast outlet in the U.S. or in Germany for Pompeii.

The storyline is being described as "both a love story and a thriller, with the historical, apocalyptic backdrop of a city on the precipice of destruction and characters who are totally relatable to a contemporary audience," stated Sony Pictures TV executive Vice President Helen Verno.

Pompeii focus on an aqueduct engineer named Marcus Attilius. He finds himself fighting time to keep the military and trade ports on the Naples Bay alive. He doesn't realize that he's also up against one of the deadliest forces of nature.

"The creation of worlds -- specifically those historical worlds which continue to capture the popular imagination -- is what we love to do and do best. Pompeii is a strong and compelling character drama set against a backdrop of a flourishing but ultimately doomed civilization -- exactly what makes great event television," Ridley Scott offered.