Sony Pictures is moving forward with its remake of the 2010 French drama A Prophet, with the studio finally finding a director, more than two years after screenwriter Dennis Lehane came aboard to write the script. Deadline reports that Sam Raimi is in early negotiations to direct the remake. Sony is producing the remake alongside Neal H. Moritz's Original Film company.

Sony Pictures obtained the remake rights back in June 2013 to the original film. The story centers on Tahar Rahim's character, an Arab man sent to a French prison, where he becomes a mafia leader. Director Jacques Audiard's drama won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2010. Talks with Sam Raimi are said to be in early stages, but the negotiations look promising. Here's what Neal H. Moritz had to say about the remake back in 2013.

"This is an epic crime saga with compelling characters and original storytelling. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to make an English language version of the film and I am grateful to have the trust of Jacques Audiard and his producers, as well as the writers Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Abdel Raouf Dafri."

Neal H. Moritz will produce alongside Toby Jaffe, although it isn't known when production may begin. Dennis Lehane has written the novels behind hit films such as Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island. In recent years, he has transitioned into screenwriting with The Drop, based on his own short story, and Travis McGee. He also wrote the novel Live by Night, which is being adapted and directed by Ben Affleck.

Sam Raimi most recently directed the 2013 remake Oz: The Great and Powerful on the big screen, but he has also been keeping busy on the small screen as well. He directed the pilot episode and served as a writer and executive producer on Starz's Ash Vs. Evil Dead, which has been renewed for a second season. What do you think about the filmmaker taking on A Prophet?