Lionsgate is moving forward on a movie version of Steve Hamilton’s upcoming crime thriller “The Second Life 0f Nick Mason,” hiring “The Equalizer” writer Richard Wenk to adapt.
Wenk’s credits include the sequel to “The Equalizer,” “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” and “The Magnificent Seven.”
Lionsgate acquired the movie rights to Hamilton’s series starting with “The Second Life of Nick Mason” in July and set up the project with “Hunger Games” franchise producer Nina Jacobson through her Color Force production company and with Shane Salerno via his Story Factory.
Putnam will publish “Nick Mason” in May as the first in a series. The titular character is a career criminal who’s released early from prison and finds himself forced to commit increasingly dangerous felonies for a Chicago crime lord while pursued by the detective who put him behind bars.
Hamilton also wrote “The Lock Artist” and the Alex McKnight series.
The “Nick Mason” deal was the first major acquisition since Bobby Cohen joined Gillian Bohrer as Lionsgate’s co-president of motion picture production. Jacobson is producing “The Odyssey” for Lionsgate with Francis Lawrence directing and Hugh Jackman in talks to star.
Wenk is repped by Gersh, the Arlook Group and Schreck, Rose. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
