We haven’t seen a screen adaptation of one of vampire mistress Anne Rice’s novels since Queen of the Damned critically bombed in 2002, but it looks like we’ll be watching a new film develop in the coming months. This one isn’t about the bloodsuckers of Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, though. It’s about Jesus. Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was the book the author wrote after returning to the Catholic Church in the late ’90s. It follows a seven-year-old Jesus Christ and the discovery of his miraculous abilities. Rice tried to get the project off the ground in 2007, but it was cancelled due to “creative differences.” This time around, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’s Chris Columbus will be producing, with The Stoning of Soraya M. writer-director Cyrus Nowrasteh set to direct. Nowrasteh will also be writing Rice’s adaptation with his wife Betsy. Rice was impressed with Nowrasteh’s film about the Iranian teen and asked him to work with her. Columbus described the upcoming project as a potential cinematic classic that would appeal to all ages around the world. Do you agree? [via /Film]