Doctor Who Movie currently in Development

Doctor Who is to go to the silver screen by the Harry Potter Director David Yates.

David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter films, told Variety that he is about to start work on developing a Doctor Who theatrical film with the BBC.

He told the showbiz magazine that the film would take a fresh approach to the cult sci-fi show.

"We're going to spend two to three years to get it right. It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into the bigger arena," he said.  "Russell T. Davies and then Steven Moffat have done their own transformations, which were fantastic, but we have to put that aside and start from scratch."

David Yates made it clear that his movie adaptation of Doctor Who would not follow on from the current TV series, but would take a completely fresh approach to the ethos of the show.

Yates is reported to be working with the head of Los Angeles based BBC Worldwide Productions, Jane Tranter.

The Doctor Who television series began on 23rd November, 1963, and seven actors played the Doctor on TV before the show finished it's original series run back in 1989.

Following a TV movie in 1996 which starred Paul McGann, the TV series returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role. David Tennant took over at the end of the same year.

The Sixth Series of Doctor Who, currently starring Matt Smith as the Doctor, was transmitted on BBC One earlier this year.

Doctor Who celebrates it's Fiftieth Anniversary in 2013.