Gary Ross is set to direct Houdini.

The filmmaker - who recently directed the first installment of The Hunger Games - is in negotiations to helm the big screen adaptation of The Secret Life of Houdini, The Making of America's First Superhero, William Kalush and Larry Sloman's biography of escapologist Harry Houdini. The book is famed for insinuating Houdini acted as a spy for Britain, helped the Secret Service and was in cahoots with police organizations.

Summit Entertainment picked up feature-film rights to the book in March 2009 with the aim of launching an action-thriller franchise and Noah Oppenheim wrote the most recent draft of the script.

Ross - who has previously helmed Pleasantville and Seabiscuit - recently pulled out of directing the sequel to The Hunger Games with Francis Lawrence replacing him. Although Ross is yet to sign up, bosses are hoping he will agree to do it, but he is known for being very choosy about his projects.