Variety reports that Christopher McQuarrie, the scribe behind Valkyrie and Usual Suspects, has officially signed on to write and produce The Monster of Florence for United Artists. This is no shocker since McQuarrie was already in talks to come on board when the project was first picked up in early September (see here).
Further details: McQuarrie partnered with Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen (American Beauty) to option the picture rights. Tom Cruise will also be producing, and still possibly to star as well.
Based on a New York Times bestseller, The Monster of Florence “chronicles a true series of events from author Douglas Preston’s life. Shortly after moving his family to Italy in 2000, Preston learned that an olive grove on their property had been the scene of a brutal murder. Teaming with Italian journalist Mario Spezi, Preston began investigating the crime, which was part of a series of eight double homicides between 1968-85. Story also spawned a 1985 Italian-language docudrama of the same name.”
Unlike other serial killer thrillers, McQuarrie will use the project as an opportunity to tell the story of a writer. It’s a “surreal account of two writers opening a proverbial Pandora’s box with their research,” McQuarrie tells Variety. “They witness first-hand how the misguided good intentions of others allow evil to flourish, eventually becoming a part of the story themselves.”
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