Billy Ray to write, direct 'Conjure Wife'

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. filmmaker Billy Ray will write and direct the big-screen adaptation of Fritz Leiber's supernatural thriller "Conjure Wife," United Artists said.

Ray's previous credits include "Breach" and "Shattered Glass."

The announcement about UA's collaboration with StudioCanal on the movie was made Thursday by UA Chief Operating Officer Elliott Kleinberg, who said: "This is one of those moments when the right filmmaker gets behind a great project. Everyone involved is excited to work with Billy to make this film a success."

Like the novel, the movie will about "a man's discovery that all his recent successes in life are the result of his wife dabbling in witchcraft," UA said in a news release. "Furious, he demands she cease, forgoing her protection and triggering an onslaught of evil forces intent on restoring the imbalance."