Scarlett Johansson to make directorial debut

Scarlett Johansson is set to make her directorial debut.

The ‘Avengers’ actress will step behind the camera for the very first time to direct ‘Summer Crossing’, an adaptation of Truman Capote’s first novel.

The film, which was announced at Cannes Film Festival today (16.05.13), is set in the summer of 1945 and centres on a 17-year-old girl who decides not to go on vacation to Paris with her parents so she can spend the summer with her Jewish valet parking attendant boyfriend.

Johansson said of the project: "Several years ago I began working alongside the Capote estate and writer Tristine Skylar to adapt ‘Summer Crossing’, an inspired early work of Truman’s which has long captured my heart. Being able to bring this story to the screen as my full length directorial debut is a life dream and deep privilege."

While the book marked the famous author’s first novel, it was unpublished until 2005. Capote is thought to have written the book in the 1940s but discarded it because he wasn’t satisfied with it.

The manuscript was later salvaged from a bin by a janitor at a New York City apartment Capote had briefly stayed and following the janitor’s death, a nephew discovered the work, resulting in it being brought to light and published posthumously – 21 years after the writer’s death.

The film is expected to begin filming next year.