According to The Hollywood Reporter, David Lowery, the filmmaker who drew much praise for his Sundance film AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS, has come aboard to write and direct the long gestating graphic novel adaptation TORSO, which has spent more than a decade in limbo.
The graphic novel, by comics superstar Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, tells the true story of Elliot Ness’ time after his Al Capone days, when he moved to Cleveland and got embroiled in the hunt of serial killer who was leaving torsos in the river and sending taunting notes to police.
Over the years, the project had attracted some pretty major names including David Fincher, Ehren Kruger, Bill Mechanic, Todd McFarlane and Don Murphy, but never came to fruition. Fincher was going to direct an adaptation for Paramount as a follow-up to his ZODIAC and even had Matt Damon attached, but at the last moment, Paramount balked, feeling that the budget was too high, and more importantly, saw Fincher’s desire to do it in black-and-white as a risky commercial bet.
TORSO is now starting from scratch and is eschewing the studio route for a lower-budgeted, indie approach that will aim to be a high-minded, period serial killer movie.
The film will be produced by Circle of Confusion, the shingle behind AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Bendis and Andreyko are also producing, as are David and Toby Halbrooks of Sailor Bear, Lowery’s production banner.