Duo Revives Monster: Ralph Winter and Terry Botwick have acquired the rights to Dean Koontz’s novel Frankenstein, which they will develop through 1019 Entertainment. Koontz’s story, a “21st century Frankenstein,†is set in modern-day New Orleans and focuses on a doctor and his supernatural creation named Deucalion. Winter and Botwick, who produced the X-Men trilogy, are looking to “launch a franchise†with the film. Not that we’re pros in launching franchises or anything, but we suggest changing the name of your monster from something that sounds like an allergy medication. [Variety]
I Spy: Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire) has signed on to write and direct an untitled feature for Warner Bros. about the “mysterious death†of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko. Newell will base the script on The Terminal Spy by Alan Cowell. Litvinenko’s death still remains a subject of great controversy, as the ex-spy (who was poisoned in 2006) accused former Russian president Vladimir Putin of plotting to murder him, though we’re guessing the actual culprit will end up being Professor Snape. [Variety]
Vamps!: Scott Kosar (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Machinist) has been recruited to work on the screenplay for Summit Entertainment’s Dracula flick Vlad. Actor Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) wrote the original script, which focuses on Vlad the Impaler (a.k.a. Dracula) when he was a young prince. Music video director Anthony Mandler will direct, and Brad Pitt and Dede Garner are producing through Plan B. One wonders why Summit is spending so much time on the script: one R-Patz cameo as a distant vampire cousin or something and they’re all set. [HR]
Back and Borth: The Matadors, a new ABC drama premiering this fall, has cast its two leads: Michelle Borth (The Forgotten) and Jonathan Scarfe (Raising the Bar). The show is a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque drama about two feuding families: one affiliated with a state attorney’s office and the other with a powerful private law firm. Borth will play a “talented lawyer†who “embarks on a secret affair†with Alex (Friday Night Lights’ Zach Gilford), an heir of the rival family. Romeo-and-Juliet-inspired shows always work out so well, as evidenced by Fox’s 2003 gamble Skin, now flourishing in its seventh season. [HR]
Smart Move: Amy Smart will star in an untitled CBS medical drama executive-produced by John Wells. The show revolves around a mobile medical team that helps those in need in various locations throughout the country. Smart will play “a tough nurse who stands up to the doctors and sleeps with one of them.†Of course she does. [HR]