Martin Scorsese has signed a four-year deal with Paramount Pictures to develop new projects. The six-time Oscar nominee will both direct and produce projects for the cinema and television.

The partnership follows the commercial and critical success of the acclaimed director's film The Departed, which has just passed the coveted $100 million mark at the US box office.

Scorsese cited his admiration for current Paramount Chairman Brad Grey as the reason for agreeing to the deal, which gives him a first-look deal at scripts. In a statement released yesterday, he said: "I have had a great personal relationship with Brad Grey for several years now and am looking forward to working with him at Paramount, a studio rich in cinematic history and responsible for making some of my favorite films."