The Iditarod sled dog race is set to be adapted for a major film release, it has been reported.

According to the Hollywood Report, the Last Great Race will be the subject of director Gavin Hood’s next silver screen picture, with Mark Johnson taking on production duties.

The project had apparently been in the development process with Miramax under the working title Ice Bound, but will now move to Walden Media.

Storylines and themes for the film are set to be based on the Gay and Laney Salisbury’s famous tome about the mushing event, The Cruellest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic.

The book details the roots of the Last Great Race in 1925, when a team of dog sledders crossed Alaska with medical supplies.

Moviegoers who cannot wait for the film to be released could instead watch the real thing – this year’s race kicks off on March 6th 2010.

Mushing fans will be eagerly anticipating the event, where Lance Mackey is set to have a tilt at his fourth title in a row.