The trades are reporting that David Cronenberg is in negotiations to helm the film adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s political thriller The Matarese Circle for MGM.
The 1979 book has two rival intelligence agents – one American, the other Soviet – find themselves working together to find out and eliminate members of a mysterious group of criminals called the Matarese that has infiltrated the highest levels of the world’s governments.
Denzel Washington is already attached as the American agent. Michael Brandt and Derek Haas have adapted the screenplay.
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The veteran writer-director David Cronenberg is in negotiations to direct The Matarese Circle, a political thriller with Denzel Washington attached to star in the project based on Robert Ludlum conspiracy novel.
The 1979 book depicts two rival intelligence agents — one American, one Soviet. They find themselves working together to uncover and vanquish members of a mysterious group of criminals called the Matarese that has infiltrated the highest levels of American government.
Circle places Cronenberg in the big-budget action arena and working with the A-list crowd. Cronenberg is known as the master of horror genre in the 1980’s and an unconventional independent auteur in the 1990s. Now he stands out with his movies 2005’s Oscar-nominated A History of Violence and 2007’s well-received Eastern Promises.
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he project, “The Matarese Circle,” revolves around two secret agents — an American and a Russian — who must work together to fight a mysterious group of killers known as the Matarese. The twist: The agents, Bradley Scofield and Vasili Taleniekov, have been nemeses for years, with each responsible for killing someone close to the other. According to those familiar with the pitch, Denzel Washington would play Scofiel and, from the looks of it, Matt Damon plays Taleniekov.Nearly all the major studios have heard at least a version of the pitch, with several thought to be keenly interested; however, no deal had been struck until now. MGM nabbed the film today.According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘”Matarese” could be attractive to studios seeking a new franchise. The property is the only other Ludlum invention to feature more than one novel; a second book, “The Matarese Countdown,” was published in 1997. Universal, meanwhile, has announced a fourth “Bourne” movie reteaming Damon and director Paul Greengrass, though Ludlum wrote only three novels. Two recent Bourne books were written by Eric Van Lustbader and published after Ludlum’s death, with a third Van Lustbader title is expected in the summer.
“Matarese” could be attractive to studios seeking a new franchise. The property is the only other Ludlum invention to feature more than one novel; a second book, “The Matarese Countdown,” was published in 1997. Universal, meanwhile, has announced a fourth “Bourne” movie reteaming Damon and director Paul Greengrass, though Ludlum wrote only three novels. Two recent Bourne books were written by Eric Van Lustbader and published after Ludlum’s death, with a third Van Lustbader title is expected in the summer. Borys Kit in Los Angeles contributed to this report
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