The Verhoeven Affair

UPDATE: Variety confirms the below report from last Friday, although they just call the project THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 2. According to the trade, the movie will begin filming in January and is “set in Europe and the Middle East and centers on Crown, who becomes entangled in a centuries-old feud and must decide how much he’s truly willing to risk for love..”

November 9th, 2007: THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR was one of Pierce Brosnan’s more entertaining post-GOLDENEYE efforts (a naked Rene Russo certainly helped), so why not try to recapture that? And with the guy who made STARSHIP TROOPERS?

A CROWN sequel called THE TOPKAPI AFFAIR has been in the works for a while, but now it reportedly has a director: none other than provocative filmmaker Paul Verhoeven. According to Dutch press, the man behind the recent WWII thriller BLACK BOOK — as well as some wonderfully explicit movie violence — will bring back Brosnan’s suave thief, who has shifted his interest from stealing paintings to stealing diamonds (um… AFTER THE SUNSET?). Angelina Jolie is also rumored for a role.

The project (which would likely require shooting in Istanbul, Turkey — or someplace that sorta looks like it) is apparently not ready given the current strike climate, so Verhoeven first plans to make THE WINTER QUEEN (aka AZAZEL) with Milla Jovovich, based on the novel about a sleuth in 19th century Russia. Verhoeven is also attached to an adaptation of the murder mystery THE PAPERBOY.

Thanks to ‘Tump’ for the heads up, and ‘Meister Evo’ for the follow-up!