George Clooney is set to play Douglas Preston in Fox 2000’s adaptation of The Monster of Florence. Christopher McQuarrie is writing the screenplay with his Valkyrie co-writer Nathan Alexander based on the best selling crime book by Preston and Italian crime reporter Mario Spezi.
The book details the true events of the writer who after moving to Italy, meets the crime reporter and soon takes an interest in a 30-year old serial murder case. Seven couples were savagely murdered between 1974 and 1985 while they sat in cars parked just outside Florence. The two sleuths encounter resistance from the local authorities who throw Spezi in jail and interrogate Preston, however they soon put the pieces together and solve the case.
For Clooney, it’s another opportunity to make a movie in Italy where he spends most of his time. The deal was inked just before the holidays with Fox 2000’s Carla Hacken and president Elizabeth Gabler. Clooney will produce alongside Grant Heslov, Dan Jinks, and Bruce Cohen of the Jinks/Cohen Company. At one point back in 2008 the concept was being developed for Tom Cruise who brought in McQuarrie as writer and producer at United Artists, however the project eventually stalled.
It was McQuarrie, Jinks, and Cohen who later brought the concept to Clooney and Grant Heslov for their Smoke House Productions banner. McQuarrie is better known for writing ‘The Usual Suspects’ so Monster will likely have a tone both dark and twisted that should make for a compelling crime thriller.
Next month Clooney begins directing The Ides of March an adaptation of Beau Willimon’s political play. He’s also set to appear briefly with Sandra Bullock in Alfonso Cuarón’s 3D sci-fi thriller, Gravity at which point Monster of Florence should then be ready to shoot with a director attached. Be sure to keep an eye out for this flick which should debut sometime in 2013.
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