Helmer in talks for spy thriller.
Twitch has word that Jonathan Levine (‘50/50,’ ‘The Wackness,’ ‘All The Boys Love Mandy Lane’) is in negotiations to direct an adaptation of the John Stock novel ‘Dead Spy Running.’ The first in a trilogy the espionage thriller has been described as a mix between the work of author John Le Carre and ‘The Bourne Identity.’
Adapted by Jamie Moss and Stephen Gaghan (‘Syriana,’ ‘Traffic’), the plot centers on Daniel Marchant, a newly trained covert operative for MI6, who is suspended after the CIA forces the British to dismiss his father from his post as head of England’s intelligence service. Both Marchants are seen by the Brits as regrettable collateral damage in the war on terrorism, but after Daniel foils a suicide bomber in the London Marathon, saving the life of the American ambassador, he’s renditioned to a CIA black site in Poland and water boarded. MI6 breaks him out of the prison and Daniel must avoid a global Agency manhunt to foil a terrorist plot and salvage his father’s reputation.
Gaghan was previously attached to direct the adaptation but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. McG and Kevin McCormick will serve as producers. Levine is finishing up post-production on his zombie romance ‘Warm Bodies.’