Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have been astonishingly prevalent in the news this week in the wake of the announcement that Russell Crowe is in negotiations to play a "Jekyll-like" character opposite Tom Cruise in Universal's reboot of THE MUMMY (and speculation that Jekyll & Hyde will be the subject of Universal's mysterious third monster flick slated for 2019).
Serendipitously, Lionsgate has announced that they're developing JEKYLL in association with Ellen Degeneres, of all people, alongside Jeff Kleeman under their A Very Good Production banner.
The script, based on the 2007 BBC One series of the same name, was written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry (THE NICE GUYS, Adam Wingard's DEATH NOTE) and they are currently seeking a director.
Here's the plot of the BBC series:
Adapted from the famous novel by Robert Louis Stephenson, this contemporary thriller follows Dr. Tom Jackman as he uses an array of modern technlogy in an increasingly desperate attempt to hold at bay a deadly foe: Mr. Hyde, his savage and ruthless alter ego. Although they time-share the same body, Mr. Hyde is significantly stronger and faster than Tom — and his strength is still growing.
The stakes get even higher when Hyde learns of the existence of Tom's beautiful wife, Claire, and their two children, whom he uses as pawns in his power play against Tom. The doctor relies heavily on his assistant, psychiatric nurse Katherine Reimer, to help him somehow keep Hyde in check. Peter Syme is Tom's best friend, Miranda Callendar is a private eye who stumbles onto Tom's bizarre double life, and Benjamin is an American overseeing a mission to overtake and capture Hyde.
Now, just to squash those rumors before they even begin, no, Ellen Degeneres is not playing Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. Although, how awesome would that be?
More details as this story breaks!