Actor Dwayne Johnson is in talks to bring author Robert Ludlum's novel The Janson Directive to life on the big screen.

If the Fast Five star signs on, he will take on the role of an ex-Navy Seal and covert operations specialist who finds himself at the centre of a termination plot after a rescue mission-gone-wrong, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bosses at Universal Pictures, the studio behind the project, have yet to attach a screenwriter or director as the film is currently in the early stages of development.

However, they are reportedly keen to turn the movie adaptation into a franchise, just like Ludlum's Bourne series.

The Janson Directive was published in 2002, a year after Ludlum's death.