Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski is gearing up to make a dramatic thriller based on Robert Harris' best-seller 'Pompeii'.

The budget for the flick, set against the backdrop of Mt Vesuvius just before and during its eruption, is projected to be around 130 million dollars, making it Polanski's most expensive film by a wide margin.

It revolves around a young engineer who has to repair an enormous aqueduct whose destruction threatens the Roman Empire.

"I got seduced by the writing. In general terms, when someone tells me to make a movie set in ancient times, I say it's not my cup of tea. But I liked that it was a thriller," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

"It will be very dependent on visual effects. It's always challenging to do something a little different, but that's what keeps me going," he added.

The script of the film will be written by Harris, and it will begin shooting this summer in Italy.