Fugitive movie director Roman Polanski plans to return to the United States, his lawyer said Thursday, and is seeking assurances he will do no further jail time over the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

The award-winning director of "The Pianist" and "Chinatown" has been on the run for almost 40 years but claims he reached a plea deal in the case which would keep him out of jail, attorney Harland Braun told AFP.