Andy Serkis, star of the Lord of the Rings, has signed up to direct a film on the life of a Barton down and out.

Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Former tramp and drug addict Stephen Smith first announced plans to turn his autobiography Addict, into a blockbuster movie six years ago.

But the film script was a washout and the plans were shelved.

Now, Mr Smith, 62, has helped write a new script and Andy Serkis - Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - has signed up to direct the £5m film.

Filming is due to start in Oxford in August and extras are being sought for street scenes.

Mr Smith said: "I was hugely disappointed with the first script, but the new screenplay and having Andy Serkis on board means that I am confident this film is going to be a great success.

"After starring as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and now filming King Kong in New Zealand, Andy Serkis is not only the blue eyed boy of Time Warner, he is perfect to direct Addict because, like me, he is a fanatic for detail."

Mr Smith said he met Mr Serkis a year ago and was flattered to learn the star had read and enjoyed his book.

"He looked at the script and suggested a slight change and now we all think it's perfect - A1," he said.

"I'm convinced Andy will do a terrific job - I think this film could win an Oscar."

Addict has sold more than 120,000 copies worldwide and tells how he spent years as a tramp after slipping into drugs and crime.

At the age of 14, he was caught stealing and locked in an asylum where he was given his first amphetamine tablet.

He later became involved in a high-profile jewellery heist. As drugs took hold and he was soon taking up to 100 tablets a day and sleeping with winos in shop doorways.

In 1978, he ended up in Oxford.

"I was thrown off a train at the train station for not having a ticket," he said.

"I dossed around the Barton district and also begged outside some of the colleges."

A chance meeting with a German tourist in a pub in London finally convinced him to turn his life around and saved his life.

He went on to marry the tourist, Hannelore, and have two sons.

"I came back to Oxford to visit some friends a few years ago and it felt strange to see places where I'd begged," he said.

"Of course there were feelings of sadness - at that time I was at my lowest.

"But I am looking forward to coming back with Andy Serkis later this year to watch him filming."

The scenes shot in Oxford will account for only a few minutes of the 120-minute film, but will take several days to shoot.

"We will be using local people dressed in clothes and using cars from that era," he said.

"The last time we asked for this, we had 3,000 volunteers, so hopefully people will still be interested."

While Robbie Williams was first choice as a leading man in 1999 - and was reportedly offered £1m to star in Addict - Mr Smith has now set his sights on the less well known Irish actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who starred in Velvet Goldmine and Bend it like Beckham.

"We are due to meet his agent next week," he said.

"I like Jonathan a lot. He looks like I did at that age and also has a little of the devil about him."

Andy Serkis was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press because of filming commitments.

But his fellow partner at Renegade Productions, Giles Davis, said he was looking forward to making the film.

"Andy has signed up to direct Addict and is very excited about it.

"He loved the story and is really buzzed up at the prospect of starting filming later this year."