James Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have been hired to write an action thriller about an anthropologist caught in a geopolitical mess.

The story takes place in uranium-rich West Africa, an area eyed by both energy companies and terrorist states. The protagonist travels back to the Sahara to help a former research subject accused of a terrorist attack.

Producer Walter Parkes told Hollywood Reporter that 'at its heart, this is an action movie set within a world that is morally complex, alluring and completely real.' He said that this is the reason Robert and Neal are uniquely suited to bring a project like this to life.

Purvis and Wade wrote the Bond flicks "Quantum of Solace" and "Casino Royale." They have an adaptation of John le Carre's "The Mission Song" with Potboiler Prods. The two were previously working on another Bond picture when MGM called the project off due to financial woes.