Egyptian actor Amr Saad has acquired rights to adapt Naguib Mahfouz's novel "Al Liss Wal Kilab" ("Thief and the Dogs") and has set his sights on developing a feature film.
"I had previously considered adapting the novel into a television series, but the project was never completed, he said in a statement. "He later decided to revisit the idea with a film adaptation, expressing his great enthusiasm for presenting a fresh and different vision of this renowned literary work."
Saad will also star as the titular character Said Mahran in the film.
Released in 1961, the novel is one of Mahfouz's most celebrated works, charts the life of Mahran, a thief recently released from jail and intent on having his vengeance on the people who put him there.
Said's despair reflects disappointment in revolution and new order in Egypt—as Said is not only a thief, but a kind of disillusioned revolutionary.
Only Nur, a prostitute, and Tarzan, a café-owner, provide Said with any aid and support from the world at large, which is closing in on him, yet in time even they cannot help him.
The novel was previously adapted into a film and a television series in Egypt.
The film was first released in 1962, only one year after the novel was first published, with a screenplay by Salah Jahin. The film starred Shoukry Sarhan (Said), Kamal el-Shennawi, and Shadia (Nur).
The television series was released in 1975 and lasted only one season (13 episodes). Although it was an Egyptian series, it was produced by a Dubai-based television station.
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