Last October, while Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was still in production, we reported that leading man Johnny Depp was already urging Marshall to re-team with him to craft a remake of the classic detective comedy The Thin Man. Well Deadline’s revealed Marshall has officially signed on to helm the remake in which Depp will star as Nick Charles, a quirky detective whose partner in crime(solving) is his sassy wife Nora. Robb recently spoke with clear enthusiasm about the project:

John (DeLuca) and I are overjoyed at the idea of working with Johnny again, especially on such a classy and classic project… We are looking forward to working with Warner Bros. to create a reinvention of a beloved story.

For those unfamiliar, The Thin Man was a book scribed by Dashiell Hammett, the iconic novelist who inspired one of film noir’s most esteemed entries: The Maltese Falcon. Notably The Thin Man is much lighter fare, featuring an eccentric trophy husband and his whip-smart bride as they gallivant about smugly solving mysteries and having adventures. The novel proved the basis of six films and a television show, making it a winsome franchise that spanned from 1934 to 1959.

Is it possible that Marshall and Depp have a new franchise in mind? It’s hard to say, especially as Depp has been striving to take a break from the tent pole Pirates franchise. One thing that seems certain though is that this Thin Man will have a darker streak than its source as Jerry Stahl, the screenwriter who detailed his drug-addled days on Alf in Permanent Midnight, has been hired to pen the script. Now, with the leading man, director, and screenwriter set up, I’m left wondering who will play Nora Charles?

My humble suggestion: Michelle Monaghan whose proved a vivacious and sharp co-star in such detective thrillers as Gone Baby Gone and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. She’d be a brilliant and beautiful choice for Nora Charles.

Are you interested in Marshall and Depp’s Thin Man? Who would you want to see play Nora Charles?