James Mangold has set his sights on a film titled The Deep Blue Good-By at Fox, picking up where Oliver Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio were once attached and working on a draft of the screenplay previously written by Dennis Lehane (author of “Shutter Island” and “Gone Baby Gone”).
[amz asin=”B009FKTTMQ” size=”small”]The story is based on the books by John D. MacDonald centering on his long-running character Travis McGee, this being the first in the series. Here’s the book’s plot:
Travis McGee isn’t particularly strapped for cash, but how can anyone say no to Cathy, a sweet backwoods girl who’s been tortured repeatedly by her manipulative ex-boyfriend Junior Allen? What Travis isn’t anticipating is just how many women Junior has torn apart and left in his wake. Enter Junior’s latest victim, Lois Atkinson. Frail and broken, Lois can barely get out of bed when Travis finds her, let alone keep herself alive. But Travis turns into Mother McGee, giving Lois new life as he looks for the ruthless man who steals women’s spirits and livelihoods. But he can’t guess how violent his quest is soon to become. He’ll learn the hard way that there must be casualties in this game of cat and mouse.
Mangold is also working on a sequel to The Wolverine, both films are set up at Fox and I’d wager the Wolverine film is more of a top priority for the studio, though nailing down a series of crime thrillers wouldn’t be too bad on the studio’s pocket book either. [Deadline]
