Sam Raimi is one very, very busy man.
Not content with putting the finishing touches on Drag Me To Hell, his eagerly-awaited return to horror, or signing on to direct a series of new Jack Ryan movies over at Paramount, or still mulling over the possibility of directing Spider-Man 4, Raimi has teamed up with Columbia to acquire the rights to Dennis Lehane’s latest novel, with the intent of developing to direct.
The novel in question, The Given Day, is released in September, but thanks to the wonderful world of galleys and sneak peeks, Raimi has already read the latest from the acclaimed author, and liked what he saw so much that he snapped up the rights.
"While it deals with many of the same themes as (Lehane's) earlier work, it is also his most ambitious book, tying events of a century ago to the subjects we struggle with today," Raimi told Variety.
It certainly does. Set in 1919 Boston, The Given Day is a sprawling tale in which two cops take centre stage against a backdrop of turmoil as returning soldiers from WWI bring back an epidemic of Spanish flu, while the police department is on the verge of an historic strike.
So, it would seem to be very un-Raimi-like material, but then the director didn’t fare too badly the last time he adapted a novel. That was 1998’s A Simple Plan, which many consider to be his best film (wrongly, of course – as any fule kno, Raimi’s best film is Evil Dead II), so maybe a return to literary territory will do him the world of good.
And let’s not forget that movie versions of Lehane’s novels have done very well of late, attracting stellar talent from Clint Eastwood (Mystic River) to Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) and Martin Scorsese, whose Shutter Island should be out later in the year.
Of course, with no screenwriter currently attached, and the big franchises vying for attention, it may be a while before Raimi gets round to directing The Given Day. But we’ll keep you posted on any developments. Meanwhile, what do you reckon he should do next, readers – Jack Ryan or Spidey? What’s that? He should make Evil Dead IV with Bruce Campbell? Now you’re talking!