David Cronenberg is to direct a movie adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel Cosmopolis.

Cronenberg’s Antenna Ltd. and France’s Alfama Films will coproduce the $12 million big-screen adaptation, which is set to shoot in Toronto and New York City in 2010.

The feature was developed by Alfama’s Paulo Branco, and will portray a 24-hour stretch limousine crawl across gridlocked Manhattan by a young asset manager billionaire suddenly rendered penniless, and in need of a haircut.

Cronenberg is also on board to direct the big-budget MGM action thriller The Matarese Circle, based on the Robert Ludlum novel and from a script now being reshaped by Paul Attanasio.

Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise are attached to top-line the potential Hollywood franchise launcher.