Paramount Lets Rights to ‘Torso’ Lapse

Evidently, it doesn’t matter that a director can bring a studio a film that grosses over $100 million and 13 Oscar nominations.   Paramount has let the rights to David Fincher’s next project, ‘Torso’, lapse.

The film, based on the graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Andreyko, tells the story of the real life “Torso Murderer”, who killed people between 1934 and 1938 and only left the torsos of his victims.   The investigator on the case of Eliot Ness, the former head of The Untouchables.

Paramount and Fincher had been planning to do the film since 2006.   Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were among the stars on board.

Paramount had the ability to re-up the rights option up until last month.   At that time, the studio would have had to purchase the rights altogether.   Paramount still owns the rights to Ehren Kruger’s screenplay adaptation, and discussions are underway with the graphic novels writers to strike a new deal.   Fincher and the producers are still attached.

“It’s a weird and odd situation,” Bendis said. “We heard it was green lit one day, then the next we heard it wasn’t. Hopefully, it’ll have a happy ending.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter