Clive Barker will rewrite the action-horror film "Zombies vs. Gladiators" for Amazon Studios.

Set in ancient Rome, the film follows the aftermath of a shaman's spell during a Coliseum event that unleashes the world’s first zombies. Consequently, a gladiator is forced to stop the spread of the zombie horde and save the city.

“'Zombies vs. Gladiators' is now in the hands of someone who has written genre-defining material throughout his career,” said Roy Price, director, Amazon Studios. “We are excited to see how Clive will add his unique narrative to capture the essence of this story and propel the project into something unique and original that could one day be enjoyed by all audiences.”

Barker first made waves in the publishing world in the mid-1980s with his "The Books of Blood" short fiction collections and his debut novel, "The Damnation Game." He went on to write and direct such films as 1997's “Hellraiser,” based on his novella "The Hellbound Heart"; 1990's "Nightbreed," from his short story "Cabal"; and 1995's “Lord of Illusions,” from his short story "The Last Illusion."

In addition, he held an executive producer role on 1992's “Candyman” -- based on his short story "The Forbidden" -- as well as the 1995 sequel, “Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh.”

“I’m excited by the opportunity to interweave two very rich narrative threads," Barker said. "One of them concerns itself with the reality of the decadence of Rome and its rise and fall. The other is a fantastical narrative element -- the living dead. My brief to myself on this project is to give the audience not only zombies they have never seen before but also a Rome they have never seen before.

“Amazon Studios offered up the dream ticket with this project. In 25 years of working in this town, I've rarely had people listen to what I had to say as closely and as carefully as they did and then simply give me the freedom to go do it. Amazon Studios is an innovative creative concept. I am looking forward to providing my own perspective to make 'Zombies vs. Gladiators' a highly commercial and entertaining movie.”

Some of Barker's other literary works include such best-selling fantasies as "Arabat," "Weaveworld," "Imajica" and "Everville."

Since its launch in November 2010, Amazon Studios -- the content development division of Amazon.com -- has received more than 9,000 movie scripts and 1,000 series pilot scripts. Sixteen film projects are currently in development.