After Disturbia, Eagle Eye and I Am Number Four, director D.J. Caruso is planning to go in a slightly different direction as he’s in talks to direct A Walk Among the Tombstones, based on Lawrence Block’s novel. However while Caruso’s been rather mainstream recently, he did start out in more dramatic fare such as The Salton Sea.
Deadline reports that Scott Frank is writing the script, which is about Matthew Scudder, an alcoholic ex-cop who investigates the kidnapping of a heroin kingpin’s wife, who the kidnappers begin to send back in pieces. A pair of men who prey murderously on women progress to kidnapping the womenfolk of drug dealers and demanding huge ransoms. Scudder reluctantly agrees to help one dealer, a Lebanese, after his wife is killed by the kidnappers. Slowly and methodically he discerns a pattern in the mayhem.
A Walk Among the Tombstones has been considered for a movie for a long time. It was first mooted 14 years ago, with Danny DeVito producing and Harrison Ford thinking about starring, but it never made it into production as edgy dramas went out of fashion. Now it’s back on the cards, although it’s not yet at the point of getting the greenlight.
Caruso is also considering helming Preacher next, the long in development movies based on a graphic novel, which Sam Mendes was attached to for a long time. While most people would prefer that movie next, considering the difficulties it’s faced so far, A Walk Among The Tombstones may well come first.