Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy’s original script Once Upon a Time in Hell has sold to Phoenix Pictures, says The Hollywood Reporter. Based on Alexandre Dumas’ classic revenge tale “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the project updates the story to modern London’s organized crime underworld.
David Thwaites and Mike Medavoy of Phoenix are producing along with Michael Connolly of Mad Hatter Entertainment.
“We want to do a very slick, Hollywood-style underground gangster film,” said Thwaites.
Shipman and McGreevy also have developed their adventure script Pendragon from the raw material of Arthurian legend. Their spin involves providing the key Camelot characters — Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad, et al. — with origin stories.
