McConaughey plans more Dirk Pitt movies

Following the success of Sahara, its star and co-producer Matthew McConaughey has voiced hopes of continuing the franchise based upon Clive Cussler's books.

He told USA Today: "I'd been looking for that renaissance guy. Everything I'd read that was a possible franchise character in the action-adventure genre was either too roadhouse, just fighting and running around, or they were too prim and proper, never getting their hands dirty."

"(Pitt is) a senator's son, but a scavenger of the deep. He can talk marine biology with you at noon and then at one o'clock be dealing gold bullion with smugglers and pirates."

However, Sahara will have to find favour with Cussler if more films are to follow, after he tried to block production of further Pitt movies earlier this year when he disapproved of changes Sahara made to his book.