Tony Black, who worked at the Warrnambool newspaper from 2002-03, has published five books since returning to his native Scotland and gained acclaim in the crime genre.

Four of his books centre on alcoholic ex-journalist Gus Dury, who regularly finds himself drawn into investigating crimes that reveal the dark underbelly of Edinburgh.

It’s the Dury character that has attracted the attention of film-makers, with director Richard Jobson signing on to bring Long Time Dead — the fourth Dury book — to the big screen.

Jobson, who was a member of punk band The Skids before becoming a director, had success in 2008 with his festival-selected film New Town Killers.

Black confirmed that one of the stars of that film — Dougray Scott — is in talks to portray his anti-hero Dury.

Scott is best known for roles in such movies as Mission: Impossible II, Enigma and Ever After.

Black’s books have drawn positive reviews. Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh proclaimed Black to be “my favourite British crime author”. He has been named as one of the leading writers of “Tartan Noir” — the name bestowed upon the grim Scots crime tales he writes.

His latest book Truth Lies Bleeding was released to great acclaim at the Edinburgh Book Festival, according to the Edinburgh Evening News.

It’s unknown when the film version of Long Time Dead will see the light of day, but Jobson is believed to be starting work on the project once he completes his current movie.