Purefoy in line for 'Saint' TV remake

James Purefoy has been lined up for the lead role in a new version of '60s spy drama The Saint.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Rome star is in talks to play international con artist Simon Templar, the part originally made famous by Roger Moore.

A two-hour pilot is being developed independently by a team of producers and writers, as well as Moore and his son Geoffrey. Filming will begin next month in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. The pilot will then be offered around the US networks, a tactic used recently to launch a new version of Knight Rider.

The Saint - an adaptation of Leslie Charteris' books - first aired on ITV from 1962 to 1969 and, in its later years, in the US on NBC. There have since been several unsuccessful attempts to remake the format, including a big screen version with Val Kilmer in 1997.