Coppola's 'Conversation' heading for TV

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 thriller, "The Conversation," is being adapted as a series for ABC TV, it was reported Monday.

Producer Tony Krantz of Fox TV's "24" will work with Coppola, who is executive producing the pilot, Daily Variety reported.

The screenwriting duo of Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen will work on expanding the premise of the original film, which starred Gene Hackman as Henry Caul, a paranoid surveillance expert.

"The absolute simplicity and elegance of the movie lends itself quite nicely to an ongoing series," McQuarrie said. "The challenge for us was staying true to the original movie and yet evolving the work (Caul) was doing at the end of the movie."