LOS ANGELES  - Kevin Spacey is on board to star in and executive producer "House of Cards," a political thriller based on a novel and a BBC miniseries.

No network is currently attached to the project. The pilot will be directed by David Fincher, who shot "The Social Network" on which Spacey was also an executive producer.

The "House of Cards" novel was written by Michael Dobbs, former Conservative Party chief of staff. It is set at the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure as prime minister and follows a British politician with his eye on the top job.

In 1990, it was adapted by the BBC as a miniseries written by Andrew Davies and starring Ian Richardson. It went on to win a BAFTA award for Richardson and an Emmy for Davies.