Jim Sheridan is set to write and direct the big-screen adaptation of Robert Graves' classic novel "I, Claudius" for Relativity Media.

The Hollywood Reporter says Graves' 1934 novel recounts the internecine plots and counterplots surrounding Claudius, the fourth emperor of Rome who ruled from 41-54 A.D.

Sheridan will write the script with Nye Heron, his longtime second unit director. "I, Claudius" made it onto the big screen for the first time in 1937, followed by a BBC miniseries in 1976.

Sheridan, whose directing credits include "My Left Foot" and "In America," is currently working on "Brothers," which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. The film is a remake of Susanne Bier's acclaimed hit of the same title.