Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty and former artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, is to turn his hand to commercials.

Mendes, whose secret marriage to the actress Kate Winslet was announced this week, has signed up to Ridley and Tony Scott's production company, RSA Films.

He has never before directed commercials and is expected to take on his first project this summer after taking two months off to travel.

RSA first approached the director last year to shoot the Barclays Bank campaign starring Samuel L Jackson.

In the end, Ridley Scott directed the campaign, but RSA has been courting the director ever since.

RSA has a history of signing well-known directors to make commercials - two years ago the Scott brothers set up a division dedicated to hiring celebrity directors for commercial projects.

Although the more traditional route is for directors to cut their teeth on commercials before moving on to films, the high budgets of many campaigns have in recent years lured film directors back to advertising.

David Lynch directed a commercial for PlayStation, while Anthony Minghella, who directed and adapted The English Patient, and Guy Ritchie have both signed up to commercials production companies.

Mendes became one of Hollywood's most sought-after directors after winning an Oscar for best director for his movie debut, American Beauty.

His production of The Blue Room starring Nicole Kidman at the Donmar Warehouse won rave reviews, and he recently became the first triple winner of the Laurence Olivier Awards after winning best director and best revival awards for Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya.

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