Depardieu to star as Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Gerard Depardieu met Abel Ferrara at the Deauville film festival

Gerard Depardieu is to star as Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a film about the New York sex scandal that caused the former IMF chief to resign.

US director Abel Ferrara told France's Le Monde newspaper he would be making the film, with Isabelle Adjani playing Mr Strauss-Kahn's wife, Anne Sinclair.

Mr Strauss-Kahn left the International Monetary Fund last May after being charged with raping a hotel maid.

The case was dropped but ended his ambitions for the French presidency.

Before the scandal Mr Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister, was thought to have had aspirations to run as a Socialist contender for the post.

French writer Tristane Banon later accused him of trying to sexually assault her during an interview in 2003, claims he denied. No action was taken because of a three-year statute of limitations but Ms Banon has indicated she may still file a civil suit.

Anne Sinclair is seen here with her husband after the case against him in New York was dropped

Ferrara told Le Monde the film would be shot in New York, Paris and Washington.

"In all the places of power: It's a film about the rich and powerful," said the director.

The project has long been rumoured but Ferrara confirmed he would be going ahead with it in June, despite the doubts of his producers Wildbunch.

"I am the director. No one is going to stop me talking about my film," said Ferrara.

Ferrara met Depardieu, 63, at the Deauville film festival in September and said the French star was everything a director could wish for in an actor.

Ferrara is best known for hard-hitting films dealing with the dark and seedy side of life, such as Bad Lieutenant, starring Harvey Keitel as a corrupt New York policeman with a drug and gambling addiction.