Justin Kurzel to direct 'Shantaram' series from Apple

Australian director-screenwriter Justin Kurzel is set to helm Apple's "Shantaram" series.

The 10-episode original is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Gregory David Roberts.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will get into production in October and will be shot in Victoria, Australia.

Kurtzel will direct the first two and last two episodes of the Paramount Television and Anonymous Content project.

The novel, a fictionalised account of David Roberts life, revolves around Lin, a one-time bank robber and heroin addict who escaped from Melbourne's infamous maximum security Pentridge Prison.

His life on the run took him to Germany and then slums of Mumbai, where he set up a clinic as a way of giving back to the society, followed by his involvement with freedom fighters against the Russians in Afghanistan.

The 2003 novel has been published in 39 languages in 42 territories worldwide and has sold more than six million copies.

The Australian government will provide USD 5 million for the production of the project through its Location Incentive program, with the Victorian government also supporting the series through Film Victoria's Production Incentive Attraction Fund.