"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp has acquired the screen rights to the Nick Tosches novel In the Hand of Dante through his production company Infinitum Nihil.

The novel centers on Dante's "The Divine Comedy." It tells parallel storylines involving the poet in 14th century Italy as he tries to complete the work and a plot involving Tosches, who is asked to validate the manuscript, as per Variety.

The 45-year-old Hollywood heartthrob, who is set to play Tosches, will be producing the film with his production partner Christi Dembrowski.

In The Hand of Dante was published in 2002.