Robert Ludlum is quite the hot property in Hollywood these days - it's just too bad that he's not around to enjoy his own success. In addition to being used as the sources for the wildly popular (not to mention totally awesome) Bourne series, his novels have recently been picked up for a TV miniseries and the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, The Chancellor Manuscript. And, just this morning, The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Universal - the home of the Bourne films - has acquired up yet another book for adaptation.

The Sigma Protocol is about an American economist who finds himself targeted for assassination. "When a U.S. intelligence agent investigating his case finds herself discredited, the two end up on the run and uncover a vast multinational conspiracy manipulating the global economy and world events." Sweet - vast multinational conspiracies are box office gold. The movie will be written and directed by Venezuela's Jonathan Jakubowicz, whose feature work to this point  - including last year's Secuestro Express, which was his home country's highest grossing film of all time - has all been in Spanish.

Though no timeline for the film has yet been set, it's safe to assume that late 2006/early 2007 is going to feature a whole lotta Ludlum.