Feature film is being developed about the epic romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

Variety reports that Paramount Pictures is launching development of Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century.

The studio is optioning the book which tells the story of the tempestuous romance of these two acting superstars who fell in love on the set of Cleopatra.

The project is a potential directing vehicle for Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese whose credits include The Departed, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Casino and Goodfellas.

A Paramount rep confirmed to Variety Wednesday that the studio was finalizing a feature rights deal for the book penned by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger.

The project will be produced by Julie Yorn, Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff of Krasnoff Foster Prods. and Scorsese through his Paramount-based Sikelia Productions.

Taylor and Burton were both married to others when they began their romance during the filming of Cleopatra. The divorced their spouses and married each other in 1964 and were married for 10 years during which time they starred together in many more films including the acclaimed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The glamorous couple lived a nomadic international lifestyle filled with diamonds and parties and were constantly stalked by paparazzi. They divorced in 1974 but remarried just a year later. But the second marriage was over by 1976.

In later years, the eight-times marries Taylor would refer to Burton as one of the two great loves of her life (the other being third husband Mike Todd who was killed in a plane crash).

Furious Love was written with access to Burton’s diaries and private writings along with the consent of Taylor and Burton’s widow Sally.