MONTREAL — Roy Dupuis, who played hockey icon Maurice Richard in one of his latest films, is taking on the role of Romeo Dallaire in the movie adaptation of Dallaire's searing memoir Shake Hands With the Devil.

Filming will begin in Kigali, Rwanda, in mid-June and the movie will be directed by Roger Spottiswoode, who also helmed the James Bond adventure Tomorrow Never Dies.

Shake Hands With the Devil tells of Dallaire's experiences in Rwanda, when the Canadian lieutenant-general was ordered by the United Nations to rally his troops to enforce a difficult peace as the country descends into turmoil.

Although more than 800,000 were killed in the Rwandan genocide despite Dallaire's efforts to shame the international community into action to prevent the massacre, Dallaire is credited with saving 30,000 people.

His book won the 2004 Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction and has brought international acclaim to Dallaire, who retired from the Canadian Forces and now sits in the Senate.

Dupuis is one of Quebec's most recognized actors and gained fame internationally for his role as a spy in the TV series Nikita.

He has recently been honoured with a Genie and a Jutra award for best actor for his work in the film Memoires affectives.

This is not the first time Dallaire's actions have been portrayed on film. Nick Nolte played a character based on him in Hotel Rwanda and he is also portrayed in the Quebec film Un Dimanche a Kigali.