F Scott Fitzgerald is one of those American authors whose works go through adaptation spurts – several get turned into films in a short burst, then nothing happens for years. The most recent was The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, taken from one of his short stories. And now it appears that 20th Century Fox wants to make a new version of **Tender Is The Night **with Matt Damon and Keira Knightley as the top choices for the main roles.
Pajiba’s sources are whispering that the studio has a script on hand from David Nicchols and is busy developing the latest take on the story of a talented young doctor named Dick Diver (yes, we know, it sounds like a porn name, quit giggling) and his wife (Knightley), who live on the French Riviera in the 1920s.
Dick’s life is seemingly going perfectly, but issues such as his wife’s wealth start weighing on his mind. Tender was last adapted in 1962, with Jason Robards and Jennifer Jones as Dick and Nicole.
There’s no word on if they’ll sign, and the film doesn’t even have a director attached yet, so while it’s likely we’ll eventually see the film, don’t go betting on either Damon or Knightley still being on board when it arrives.