As if George Clooney weren't already one of the busiest men in Hollywood, he's adding another film to his growing to-do list.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox 2000 has acquired the rights to Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi's best-selling book "The Monster of Florence," with Clooney attached to star. "Valkyrie" co-writers Chris McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander are writing the screenplay.
The story is about an investigation into the murderer (or murderers) known as Il Mostro, who killed more than a dozen people between the late 1960s and mid 1980s without being caught. While digging for facts for their book, writers Preston and Spezi were both investigated by the police in connection to the murders. Presumably, Clooney would play one of them.
Tom Cruise had originally optioned the rights to the project for United Artists as his own star vehicle, but the project went into a turnaround after UA had some problems during MGMs restructuring. McQuarrie and producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen then took the film to Clooney, who is fast becoming the hail mary savior of Hollywood.
Clooney also recently rescued Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity," which Warner Bros was ready to scrap if they couldn't get an actor attached to star as the male lead. And he is also preparing to direct and star in "The Ides of March," in addition to all the charity and humanitarian work he's always doing. The man certainly does have a great work ethic.
THR is guessing "The Monster of Florence" will have a fall shoot, most likely on location in Italy. Clooney also shot his 2010 drama "The American" on location in Italy. Between this flick and Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Devil In The White City," it looks like 2012 could be the year of the serial killer (and board game adaptations) in Hollywood.
Does "The Monster of Florence" pique your interest?
