Shine Pictures has acquired Steven Knight's screenplay Hummingbird, which he will use to make his directorial debut.

The story centers on a former special services soldier who turns into a criminal. Steven Knight previously wrote the screenplays for Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises, and the upcoming Clash of the Titans 2. Here's what the writer had to say about this new project.

"I believe the story is timely and the characters are drawn from a city full of broken lives and sudden opportunities. It is about redemption and love in a rarely seen urban underworld, and even the romance is forbidden."

Paul Webster (Atonement) and Tracey Seaward (Tamara Drewe) will produce Hummingbird. Casting has already begun, with production set to start this fall.