The Hollywood Reporter says Paramount has let the film rights lapse for Torso, the graphic novel adaptation that has had David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) attached to direct, leaving the project in limbo.
The studio has held the rights since January 2006 and the project has drawn interest from stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.
The “Torso” graphic novel was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Andreyko. It’s a crime thriller that tells the true story of Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness’ time after his Al Capone days.
The trade says that last month, Paramount’s ability to extend the rights option as part of the original deal expired, which would have then required the studio to purchase the rights outright to retain them. While the studio still owns Kruger’s screenplay, it is in discussions potentially to strike a new option agreement with the comic’s writers, to whom the rights reverted. (Fincher and the producers remain attached.)
