If Christian Bale’s reluctance about getting fat did indeed put an inextricable nail in Ferrari‘s coffin, Michael Mann could instead head to very comfortable territory — and he might bring Don Winslow along with him. The acclaimed crime author will take part in the newly established Michael Mann Books, with the director “co-creating” a novel about Chicago’s legendary gangsters Sam Giancana and Tony Accardo; it’s expected to arrive next year. [Deadline]
This is not new territory for Mann: he’s been hoping to tell this story for years, back when it was (or still is?) called Big Tuna, and one imagines that having the writer behind some of this century’s best-known crime stories — including The Cartel, which Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio might soon bring to theaters — ought to be a major boost. Mann is currently expected to produce the feature — but, if all goes well, we’ll soon have his full vision of mid-century Chicago gangsters.
Meanwhile, THR tell us Simon Pegg and Steven Spielberg are looking to make a reunion on Ready Player One. The YA adaptation has already rounded up Tye Sheridan, Ben Mendelsohn, and Olivia Cooke (Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl), and, as based on Ernie Cline’s best-selling novel, concerns a teenage gamer who finds himself competing in a treasure hunt against ruthless foes after the game’s founder dies and offers his fortune as the grand prize. Pegg would play Orgen Morrow, co-creator of the in-universe game OASIS.
Warner Bros. will release Ready Player One on March 30, 2018.
And then there’s Morrissey. The irascible, sometimes weirdly omnipotent musician is getting the biopic treatment from newcomer helmer Mark Gill and relative unknown star Jack Lowden, the latter of whom was recently cast in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. (Put another way, that “relative unknown” label won’t stick much longer.) Not much is known, save for the fact that it’s a) entitled Steven and b) as co-written by William Thacker, it covers the singer’s early, pre-Smiths days. [Screen Daily]
HanWay and Honlodge Productions are backing the project.