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Brian Kirk In Talks To Helm Robert Ludlum’s ‘The Osterman Weekend’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday February 28, 2012 @ 1:18pm PSTTags: Robert Ludlum, The Osterman Weekend
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Brian Kirk is in talks to direct The Osterman Weekend, the adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novel for Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment and Captivate Entertainment.

The Irish helmer is also developing Paper Wings at Sony as a potential Tom Cruise vehicle, as well as the Guillermo Del Toro-produced Midnight Delivery at Universal. He most recently directed the BBC miniseries Great Expectations and helmed several episodes of the Idris Elba series Luther.

Scripted by Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow, The Osterman Weekend is classic Ludlum, mixing conspiracy, murder and a man on the run. On the eve of an annual weekend getaway with friends, John Tanner is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, Tanner gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to figure out who he can trust and who’s out to kill him. The book was previously turned into a 1983 film by Sam Peckinpah.

Peter Davis is producing through Davis-Panzer Productions alongside Simon Kinberg and his Genre Films banner, Doug Liman, and Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith for Captivate, which has The Bourne Legacy coming up with Tony Gilroy directing and Jeremy Renner starring for Universal. Henry Morrison will be executive producer of The Osterman Weekend. Kirk’s repped by CAA and Independent Talent.

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Hot Trailer: ‘The Bourne Legacy’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday February 8, 2012 @ 10:06am PSTTags: Jeremy Renner, Matt Damon, Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Legacy, Tony Gilroy
Mike Fleming

Universal has just released its first trailer for The Bourne Legacy, the Tony Gilroy-directed spinoff of the studio’s blockbuster Bourne Identity series. This time, Jeremy Renner takes center stage as the protagonist. Coming off The Hurt Locker and Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol, Renner’s growing into action hero mode. Will the film … Read More »

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Universal Taps Irwin Winkler For Robert Ludlum’s ‘The Sigma Protocol’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday January 12, 2012 @ 4:38pm PSTTags: Ben Smith, Goodfellas, Irwin Winkler, Jeffrey Weiner, Robert Ludlum
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: After re-starting one Robert Ludlum novel franchise with The Bourne Legacy, Universal Pictures is looking to get in gear with The Sigma Protocol, the last thriller Ludlum wrote before he passed away. The studio has set Irwin Winkler and Jose … Read More »

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Universal And Captivate Target Next Robert Ludlum Thriller: ‘The Janson Directive’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday October 25, 2011 @ 5:10pm PDTTags: Ben Smith, Edward Norton, Jeffrey Weiner, Jeremy Renner, Jesse Wigutow, John Hlavin, Rachel Weisz, Robert Ludlum, Ron Howard, Simon Kinberg, The Bourne Legacy, Tony Gilroy, Universal Pictures
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: After getting the spinoff film The Bourne Legacy into production with Tony Gilroy directing his script and Jeremy Renner starring, Universal Pictures, Captivate Entertainment and Ludlum Entertainment are moving forward with another feature adaptation of a Robert Ludlum thriller novel. The studio has hired John Hlavin to script The Janson Directive, one of the last novels Ludlum wrote before he died in 2001. Ben Smith and Jeffrey Weiner are producing through Captivate, which has a first look Universal deal. The production company just signed with UTA.

Published a year after Ludlum’s death, The Janson Directive focuses on Paul Janson, an ex-Navy SEAL and former member of the covert government agency Consular Operations. In the book, he is haunted by memories of the Vietnam War and his mentor and commanding officer, whose sadistic side prompted him to turn Janson over to the enemy to be tortured. Janson escaped and provided the evidence of war crimes that caused his CO’s execution. Years later, Janson is a corporate security consultant who takes a job rescuing an important man, but when the job goes awry, Janson is targeted for a “beyond salvage” termination order. He has no choice but to follow the clues that lead him to a massive scandal. Read More »

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Summit’s Post-’Twilight’ Chapter To Be Underwritten By Book Adaptations

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday March 18, 2011 @ 8:13am PDTTags: Alex Proyas, Daniel H. Wilson, Deborah Kaplan, Doug Wick, Emma Watson, Erik Feig, Erin Morgenstern, Harry Elfont, Isaac Marion, Jesse Wigutow, John Gray, Kenneth Oppel, Logan Lerman, Lucy Fisher, Nicholas Hoult, Robert Ludlum, Stephen Chbosky, Stephenie Meyer, Summit Entertainment, Twilight Saga, Veronica Roth, Warren Ellis
Mike Fleming

The start of Summit Entertainment’s trajectory began when the mini-major convinced Stephenie Meyer to sell her Twilight Saga book series after she’d been left so frustrated by how Paramount Pictures let it languish. Was it a billion dollar lucky break? … Read More »

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Scribe For Ludlum’s ‘Osterman Weekend’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday September 3, 2010 @ 1:33pm PDTTags: Jesse Wigutow, Robert Ludlum, Robert Schwentke, Summit Entertainment, The Osterman Weekend
Mike Fleming

Summit Entertainment signed Jesse Wigutow to do a rewrite of The Osterman Weekend, the Robert Ludlum thriller. The picture was previously adapted into a 1983 Sam Peckinpah-directed film. Summit is trying to move fast to lock in Robert Schwentke, who is attracting buzz for his upcoming Bruce Willis-Helen Mirren starrer Red. Schwentke has competition for his next slot, as Universal wants him for RIPD with Ryan Reynolds. Wigutow just scripted an untitled Steve McQueen biopic, as well Divorcees for Universal and Snepp at HBO. Read More »

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‘Red’ Director Robert Schwentke Jumps Into Fox 2000′s ‘Shadow Divers’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday August 4, 2010 @ 3:56pm PDTTags: Fox 2000, Robert Ludlum, Robert Schwentke, Robert Schwentke Director Red, Shadow Divers, The Osterman Weekend
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Schwentke, whose upcoming Helen Mirren-Bruce Willis-John Malkovich shoot-em-up Red got a big Comic-Con reaction, has taken the plunge on Shadow Divers, the Fox 2000 adaptation of the Robert Kurson book. It is one of a couple films … Read More »

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Thriller Books-To-Films: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Sunday July 11, 2010 @ 6:22am PDTTags: Barry Levinson, Books, Robert Ludlum, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tom Clancy
Mike Fleming

the-bourne-identity-by-robert-ludlumThe just completed Thrillerfest — think  Comic-Con for thriller authors and their fans —   featured a lecture that caught my eye. Sleepers author Lorenzo Carcaterra chose the 10 best thriller films made from books, the 10 worst, and the 10 he … Read More »

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