Passion Pictures’ John Battsek and Red Box Films’ Simon Chinn have signed on to executive produce The Imposter, a documentary feature to be directed by Bart Layton.

The film, which is being financed by Film 4, More4 and A&E Indie Films, will tell the story of Frederic Bourdin, a Frenchman who stole the identity of a missing child and was welcomed back by his family, who believed they had found their son after seven years.

Directed by Layton, who is the creative director of UK production company Raw Television, the film is currently in production. It is being produced by Raw Television’s managing director Dimitri Doganis.

Simon Chinn, who is heading to Sundance next week for the world premiere of James Marsh’s latest feature doc Project Nim, told Screen: “It sounds incredibly improbable. He pretended to be this kid for five months and got away with it. But it’s true. There is a twist at the end, which I won’t tell you what it is, but it’s very exciting. We are hoping that it’s another feature doc that will feel and be experienced as a narrative film.”

The film is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.

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