It’s time to raise a glass of your finest hooch because Joel Silver (Die Hard, The Nice Guys), Team Downey (Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey), and Amazon Studios are developing a series of feature film and television projects based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels. The first project to come from the deal is the Play Dirty movie, in which Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man) is set to star as Parker, a professional thief.
According to Deadline‘s description, Parker is a craftsman. He’s brutal, brilliant, and deadly. He’s whatever it takes to get the money and get away clean. The Parker character was first introduced in 1962’s The Hunter from Pocket Books and featured in 23 other titles from Westlake, who wrote the novels under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The Parker character has been the basis for several films, including 2013’s Parker starring Jason Statham, Payback with Mel Gibson, and The Outfit with Robert Duvall.
Adapting the screenplay for the team’s Play Dirty movie is Shane Black (The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3) and Charles Mondry, with Anthony Bagarozzi (The Nice Guys, Doc Savage) poised to direct. Silver will produce alongside Downey Jr. and Downey for Team Downey, and Marc Toberoff, with Ezra Emanuel co-producing. The project finds Downey Jr., Downey, Black, and Silver getting the band back together almost two decades after teaming for the cult crime thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Downey Jr. and Black also joined forces on Iron Man 3 for Marvel Studios. Black is also known for penning such films as The Long Kiss Goodnight, Last Action Hero, and The Monster Squad – all of which are master pie.
With so many amazing film projects under their respective belts, I’m having trouble imagining how this Parker initiative could fail. The team’s Play Dirty movie should provide us with a great look into Parker’s complex world, and I can’t wait to check it out.