Gandolfini lands in a Big Dead Place for HBO

James Gandolfini might want to pack a parka for his next project.

The former Sopranos star has landed a deal with HBO for an adaptation of Nicholas Johnson's memoir Big Dead Place, about working for the U.S. Antarctic Program, and the effects that staying in a remote, frozen area for extended periods of time had on his psyche, HBO confirms to TheWrap.

Gandolfini will co-executive produce with Breaking Bad producer Peter Gould. The project, currently in development, is being considered as a starring vehicle for the actor.

As reported earlier, Gandolfini has also acquired the rights to the Robert Egan/Kurt Pitzer book Eating With the Enemy: How I Waged Peace With North Korea From My BBQ Shack in Hackensack for development at HBO.

That book details the experiences of a New Jersey restaurant owner who becomes an unlikely, unofficial diplomat to North Korea, after getting involved in POW/MIA issues.

News of the Big Dead Place project was first reported by Deadline.