is reporting that famed screenwriter/playwright David Mamet has been hired to pen the adaptation of Don Winslow‘s latest masterwork, The Force. The rights to the novel were scooped up prior to publication by Fox, who set James Mangold to direct it in the wake of Logan‘s success earlier this year. The novel centers around a world class cop who slowly finds himself drawn more and more into the dirtier side of his profession, until he’s in so deep that he has no choice but to betray his fellow crooked officers.
David Mamet is probably best known for his writing on films such as Glengarry Glen Ross, The Edge, American Buffalo, and Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables. He has also directed critically-acclaimed films of his own, from Homicide to State and Main to Redbelt. James Mangold, in addition to directing The Wolverine and Logan, has helmed great films like Cop Land (pictured above), Kate & Leopold, 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line, and Girl, Interrupted. Given how wonderful Cop Land in particular is, I’m excited to see him return to the world of police corruption with The Force. As for Don Winlow? He’s the author of Savages, The Power of the Dog, The Winter of Frankie Machine, The Cartel, and many other novels that you should seek out when you have a chance.
Ridley Scott, Kevin Walsh, and Shane Salerno are on board to produce the project for the studio. No production timeline is in place at this time, but given the acclaim that the novel is receiving, look for this to happen soon. Mangold’s immediate next project is the recently announced remake of the French action thriller, Disorder. Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water) has penned the script for that film, which is set to lens this fall. I wouldn’t be too surprised if The Force ends up being Mangold’s immediate next project, once work on Disorder has been completed.
