Warner Bros. Options A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER

Warner Bros. has optioned the film rights to a novel called A Conspiracy of Paper by author David Liss for Ridley and Tony Scott to produce through their Scott Free production company.

The movie is a mystery thriller, set in early 18th century London against the backdrop of the beginnings of stock speculation and the retreat from a mineral-based currency. Protag is Benjamin Weaver, a Jewish former boxer living on the fringes of criminal society who becomes entangled with powerful financial giants.

The script will be written by Danny Strong (Recount).

Here's a description of the book:

Benjamin Weaver, a Jew and an ex-boxer, is an outsider in eighteenth-century London, tracking down debtors and felons for aristocratic clients. The son of a wealthy stock trader, he lives estranged from his family—until he is asked to investigate his father’s sudden death. Thus Weaver descends into the deceptive world of the English stock jobbers, gliding between coffee houses and gaming houses, drawing rooms and bordellos. The more Weaver uncovers, the darker the truth becomes, until he realizes that he is following too closely in his father’s footsteps—and they just might lead him to his own grave. An enthralling historical thriller, A Conspiracy of Paper will leave readers wondering just how much has changed in the stock market in the last three hundred years...

Danny Strong (Recount) will write the script.