After writing numerous crime novels set in America, Dennis Lehane will take on the criminal slums of France.
Lehane is attached to adapt the script for the remake of the critically-acclaimed French pic “A Prophet” for Sony.
Neal H. Moritz is on board to produce with Toby Jaffe overseeing for the company. Insiders say Jaffe was the one who felt the film fit Lehane style and was the person who introduced him to the project.
In the original, the story followed an Arab man who is sent to a French prison and soon becomes a Mafia kingpin among the prisoners.
The film starred Tahar Rahim and went on to won Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for best foreign film at the 2010 Oscars.
Lehane’s novels including “Mystic River,” “Gone Baby Gone” and “Shutter Island” have been adapted into successful films, and lately he has become more involved in penning scripts not based on his own material. Some his recent assignments include “Travis McGee” and “Silk Road” for Fox.
Ben Affleck is also developing Lehane’s “Live By Night” as his next directorial gig which he will also star in at Warner Bros.
He also penned the script for the upcoming Fox Searchlight crime pic “Animal Rescue,” starring Tom Hardy, which is based on one of his short stories. He is repped by IPG and attorney Jason Hendler.
