David Fincher is reported to be looking at another true story of the now famous Elliot Ness called Torso. Originally a true story, then a graphic novel, and soon to be a movie, but will it star Costner and Connery?!
Kidding aside the news from The Hollywood Reporter is that he’s “clearing his schedule” right now for…
…a thriller based on a graphic novel written by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andrey-ko, which he will direct for Paramount Pictures. Ehren Kruger is writing the adaptation, which will be produced by Pandemonium’s Bill Mechanic, Angry Films’ Don Murphy and comic artist Todd McFarlane. “Torso” tells the true but relatively unknown story of Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness’ time after his Al Capone days, when he moved to Cleveland to be the city’s public safety officer. Torsos began appearing in the river, and Ness began receiving notes taunting him to catch the killer. Ness, who had no experience in police work, put together a team of ex-officers to apprehend the serial murderer.
I’d never heard of this before and I can hardly believe it’s taken this long after Untouchables to unearth this tale and bring it to the movies, and through a graphic novel. After the success of that first Ness picture wouldn’t you check out his history for anything else interesting?
Good tale it does sound anyway, and if they can recapture the atmosphere of that original, combined with the slightly askew genius of Fincher, it sounds a fantastic idea.
I’ve already read this screenplay, a couple of years back, but at that point it certainly wasn’t written by Ehren Kruger. From what I remember it was a pretty good story, and a very nice screenplay.
Alby
I’ve read the comic years ago, and although i don’t remember the ending or particular details, it was very nicely done.
What confuses me is that you mention that this was AFTER Al Capone, and yet you say that Ness had no police work experience? How come?
“Another true story of the now famous Elliot Ness…”
I’m sorry, what was the first true story?
Not “The Untouchables” which was a complete fabrication.
All Elliot Ness did was turn up for a few photo shoots at the end of a raid.
Elliot Ness was a drunkard discovered at a bar by a reporter, years after Prohibition. He played up his role and the reporter wanting a good story published it. Then Ness got his memoirs published, and a TV series followed. Even though his tales have been debunked, people assume it’s real, because Hollywood only tells true stories.
Do you notice how the description of Torso sounds like every other serial killer movie?
Maybe the sequel to Torso can have Elliot Ness teaming up with a fast talking black partner, or maybe he could go undercover as a kindergarden teacher, or maybe he could become a chef for a cruise ship…
Come on people, let’s get a franchise started!
Sounds like perfect territory for Fincher. Although I am a bit disturbed than Krueger is writing the script. Not a great start…
Speaking of Fincher, whatever happened to the Sci-Fi movie he was going to do with Morgan Freeman, Rendezvous with Rama? Or for that matter, the one about the two preists that find out the world is ending and go on a wild bender, snorting coke off a Bible and then the Catholic church send a Vatican hitman after them?
There’s a hilarious anecdote in B.M.Bendis’ “Fortune & Glory,” an account of his trying to pitch the Torso story to studios. One studio executive refuses to believe that “Eliot Ness” isn’t a fictional character owned by Paramount, so turns down the pitch to avoid a copyright battle.
Ehren Krueger is writing it? Sh*t.