Michael Fassbender is in talks to star as a serial killer in Broad Green Pictures’ “Entering Hades” with Storyscape Entertainment and Fassbender’s DMC Film producing, Variety has learned exclusively.
“Entering Hades” is based on John Leake’s true crime novel about Jack Unterweger, a celebrated Austrian journalist and best-selling author who led a double life investigating murders by day and killing by night – amassing a body count of 11 people across multiple continents.
Producers are Storyscape Entertainment’s Bob Cooper (“John Tucker Must Die”) and Richard Saperstein (“1408”) along with Conor McCaughan and Daniel Emmerson of DMC Film.
Alexander Dinelaris, who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar as one of the four screenwriters on “Birdman,” is rewriting the screenplay with Fassbender eyed to star. Bill Wheeler wrote the original script.
“With Bob and Richard’s vision and Michael’s keen ability to bring captivating characters to the big screen, we are confident that ‘Entering Hades’ will be an entertaining thriller that draws a big audience,” said Gabriel and Daniel Hammond, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Broad Green Pictures.
“Entering Hades” is the first project announced by Broad Green Pictures and Storyscape Entertainment since the companies signed a first-look deal last year.
“This is exactly the kind of elevated and commercial material that we are looking to produce through our deal with Broad Green,” Cooper and Saperstein said. “Michael Fassbender is one of today’s most talented actors and we are thrilled to be in partnership with him, as well as Conor and Daniel, to bring this extraordinary story to the screen.”
Mister Smith Entertainment will handle international sales.
Broad Green was founded by the Hammond brothers in 2014. It’s released “A Walk in the Woods,” “99 Homes,” “I Smile Back” and “Knight of Cups”; upcoming releases include Bryan Cranston’s “The Infiltrator” and “Bad Santa 2.”
Storyscape has completed production on “Maudie,” starring Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins. Saperstein recently began pre-production on the remake of “The Blob,” starring Samuel L. Jackson.
DMC was founded by Fassbender and McCaughan in 2011. They won a BAFTA for their first production, John Maclean’s short film “Pitch Black Heist” and produced his debut feature “Slow West,” which won the World Jury Prize at Sundance. DMC recently wrapped shooting on “Assassin’s Creed,” which will be released by Fox this fall and stars Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons.
Fassbender received Oscar nominations for Best Actor for “Steve Jobs” and Best Supporting Actor for “12 Years a Slave.” He’s repped by CAA.
