Denzel Toplining Ludlum's 'Matarese' for MGM
Alleged $3 million deal and another $2 mil to the writers!
MGM has just made a major deal to acquire the rights to Robert Ludlum's "The Matarese Circle" and Denzel Washington is attached to star.
Ludlum is the author that spawned the Bourne series of films, but considering those films only took the names and a general idea of what the books were about and spawned a whole new mythology the fact that MGM has spent so much to acquire the rights to the 1979 novel is amazing. How much you ask? Obviously you didn't read the above teaser, but I'll say it again.
MGM has allegedly spent upwards of $3 million for the rights to the story and another $2 million to bring on screenwriters Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. Brandt and Haas recently penned the remake of 3:10 to Yuma as well as the upcoming actioner Wanted. Obviously the $900+ million worldwide success of the Bourne trilogy as well as Denzel's involvement is a big incentive to snatch up more Ludlum, but is MGM counting too much on the property?
I anticipate, like "Bourne", Brandt and Haas will take "Matarese" out of the Cold War era and make it more modern as the film is set during the Cold War pairing rival spies, one from the CIA and the other from the KGB, who bury the hatchet for the moment because only they possess the smarts and killing abilities to go up against an international circle of killers called the Matarese.
"Matarese" does have a follow-up story as well called "The Matarese Countdown," which could serve as the template for another picture should the first one be successful.
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