Mother Teresa’s life story is headed for the big-screen treatment.

Keir Pearson, who received an Oscar nomination for Hotel Rwanda, is set to write the screenplay for I Thirst, the first authorised biopic of the late religious sister.

“Keir’s presentation and his Oscar-nominated script of Hotel Rwanda and his sensitive script for Chavez made him the perfect choice,” producer Tony Krantz said.

“I Thirst is the first and only authorised film about the life of Mother Teresa on the big screen. We couldn’t be more excited for this movie about a woman who stood for total commitment, faith, charity and love.”

He added: “This is not going to be a movie about Catholicism. It’s going to focus on her deeds.”

The film, which will be in collaboration with the Mother Teresa Centre, will focus on Mother Teresa’s work in Calcutta during the 50s when she founded the Missionaries of Charity after hearing a call from the Lord to begin ministering to the poorest of India’s poor.

She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and by the time of her death at the age of 87 in 1997, the order had grown to more than 4,000 sisters running orphanages, hospices and charity centres.

Tony will complete his research trip with Keir in the Indian city of Kolkata Tijuana in Mexico during the coming month, with Keir expected to start writing the script at the end of February.

Producer Jamey Volk said: “We’re eager to get this story to the global audience. Our goal is to go into principal photography by the end of 2014 with a broad global release during spring or summer of 2015.”

A director and cast will be announced later.