William Monahan won and Oscar for his adapted screenplay for The Departed. Prior to that he wrote the script for Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven and also wrote the screenplay for Ridley’s upcoming feature Body of Lies based on the David Ignatius novel. One has to wonder if he is ready for the director’s chair… Before Tony Gilroy moved from scripter to director he worked on the screenplays for The Devil’s Advocate, Armageddon and all three Bourne films. Then he hit it big with Michael Clayton and its seven Oscar nominations. Will Monahan have as much luck? Let’s hope so.
Monahan is moving from being the voice on the paper to the voice on the paper and behind the camera as he has adapted the Ken Bruen novel “London Boulevard” and plans on making his directing debut on the crime drama this fall.
The story revolves around a South London criminal who, after release from prison, tries to give up the gangster life by becoming a handyman for a reclusive young actress.
However, if you are a fan of Monahan’s work this is not the only thing to look forward to.
He is adapting a remake of the Korean film The Chaser for Warner Bros. The 1976 film is about a surgeon who is ordered by a criminal, under threat of death, to remove a diamond from the corpse of a woman. Unable to forget his harrowing experience, he resigns from his position in the hospital to track down the killer.
He is also adapting John Pearson’s book “The Gamblers” for WB, which is about the Clermont Set — five friends who became the most stylish and exclusive gamblers in 1960s London.
So, a lot to look forward to, and that “Gamblers” story sounds great if you ask me. Here’s the book at Amazon if you are interested.
