Nora Ephron (Bewitched and Sleepless in Seattle) will write and direct for Columbia Pictures an adaptation of the Julie Powell book Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, according to Variety.

Powell was verging on 30 and frustrated in a temp secretary job when she took on a yearlong culinary quest: cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." She chronicled her trials and tribulations in a blog that caught on with the food crowd and led to a book deal.

The producers indicate that late Julia Child will figure into the story line, including her early exploits as a spy, before she was introduced to a love of French cuisine by her husband, Paul Child.

As well as a successful writer and director, Ephron is also an accomplished cook.