The film, called Frank Monte and The Skull of Rockefeller, traces the true story of Monte's adventure-ridden hunt for Michael Rockefeller, long-lost heir to the Rockefeller fortune.

Hollywood star Michael Douglas is due to play Frank, a role for which he is being paid a whopping $19 million (though he's still whingeing because he wants $24 million).

Now after months of negotiation and last-minute talks in Hollywood over the weekend, Madonna is expected to sign up today.

Madonna will play Sarah Green, who was Frank Monte's girlfriend at the time of the 1979 hunt in the jungles of Irian Jaya.

Sarah is now happily married and living in Boston, but at the time she was "a fairly sexy and saucy girl," Frank told Thirteen yesterday.

"We've been negotiating with Madonna since February," he said. "She is very keen to do more acting and she's very keen on this movie, but she wants her role to be bigger."

This has caused a moderate problem for Frank, who does not want the script to veer far from the truth.

"Madonna wants to be the pith-helmeted blonde, trudging through the jungle, but there weren't any women there with us then," said Frank.

"It's possible to give Madonna a larger speaking role, but if we change the story it will lose its integrity.

The Daily Telegraph Mirror - July 20, 1992