Paul Haggis to Pen Gabriel Allon Spy Movie?
Way back in 2007 we heard that Universal had acquired Daniel Silva's series of spy novels about former Mossad agent (and Munich avenger) Gabriel Allon and tapped Pierre Morel, then known only for directing District B13 and shooting the first two Transporter movies, to helm. Obviously Morel went on to make a spy name for himself with Taken and From Paris With Love, but his take on Allon seems to have fallen apart. Then in April of this year Deadline reported new movement on the property at Universal, with former NBC topper Jeff Zucker on board to produce. Now The LA Times' 24 Frames blog (via MI6) reports that two-time James Bond screenwriter Paul Haggis (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) is in talks to write the first movie in the potential franchise, probably drawing from Silva's first Allon book, The Kill Artist. According to the newspaper's Steven Zeitchik, "it's possible Haggis would also direct it, but one of the sources said that the project is in early development and that any decision on a director would be much further off." As a director, Haggis is best known for the Oscar-winning Crash. Silva's most recent Allon book is The Rembrandt Affair; another, Portrait of a Spy, is due next month. (The titles reflect Allon's cover as an art restorer.) It's possible that Haggis will draw from multiple books in crafting the inaugural Allon film.
Showing posts with label Mossad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mossad. Show all posts
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Poster For The DebtFocus Features has released a new 1-sheet for The Debt, which opens August 19. I'm really excited for this one. It's got a great cast in what looks to be a solid, serious, old-school spy movie, from great writers to boot. And it (partially) takes place in the Sixties! The trailer looked great, and who wouldn't want to see a young version of Helen Mirren take down Casino Royale's Mr. White? Here's the official synopsis:
The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, RED) and Stephan (two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds, Munich, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain [The Tree of Life], Marton Csokas [The Bourne Supremacy], and Sam Worthington [the guy who wasn't in The Tourist]) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team’s mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tradecraft: Mirren Spy Movie The Debt Gets Distribution
Deadline reports that The Debt finally has a distributor. I know I covered this movie here a long time ago, when it was first announced, but I can't find that post. Suffice it to say, it was completed a while ago and has been a victim of Miramax's uncertain future, sitting on a shelf despite a very fine pedigree. Now the Miramax situation has been resolved, and Focus Features and Universal Pictures International will release director John Madden's espionage thriller on August 31, 2011. The story of The Debt, crafted by screenwriters Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class) and Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and adapted from the 2007 Israeli film Ha-Hov, unfolds in two time periods: the Sixties and today. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love spy movies set in the Sixties?) Spy veterans Helen Mirren (RED), Tom Wilkinson (The Ghost Writer) and Ciarán Hinds (Munich) play a trio of retired Mossad agents in the present, while Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas (The Bourne Supremacy) play the same characters in 1966, when they were active operatives tasked with capturing a Nazi war criminal (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace's Jesper Christensen, who certainly looks the part!) in East Berlin. "At great risk, and at considerable personal cost," according to the Focus press release, "the team’s mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations." The rather awesome trailer has been out for a while:
Deadline reports that The Debt finally has a distributor. I know I covered this movie here a long time ago, when it was first announced, but I can't find that post. Suffice it to say, it was completed a while ago and has been a victim of Miramax's uncertain future, sitting on a shelf despite a very fine pedigree. Now the Miramax situation has been resolved, and Focus Features and Universal Pictures International will release director John Madden's espionage thriller on August 31, 2011. The story of The Debt, crafted by screenwriters Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class) and Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and adapted from the 2007 Israeli film Ha-Hov, unfolds in two time periods: the Sixties and today. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love spy movies set in the Sixties?) Spy veterans Helen Mirren (RED), Tom Wilkinson (The Ghost Writer) and Ciarán Hinds (Munich) play a trio of retired Mossad agents in the present, while Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas (The Bourne Supremacy) play the same characters in 1966, when they were active operatives tasked with capturing a Nazi war criminal (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace's Jesper Christensen, who certainly looks the part!) in East Berlin. "At great risk, and at considerable personal cost," according to the Focus press release, "the team’s mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations." The rather awesome trailer has been out for a while:
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