BRIDGE OF SPIES Writer Sets BATTLE FOR ALCATRAZ at Paramount

Matt Charman, the man who wrote Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies (my review), has just sold a pitch to Paramount for a film called Battle For Alcatraz, which is based on a real escape attempt from San Francisco's island prison that took place in the 1940s. Charman will executive produce and Neil Widener and Gavin James will write the screenplay, which THR says tells "the true story of the failed 1946 escape attempt from Alcatraz Prison by six inmates that incited a full-blown military response — turning the world’s most notorious prison into a war-torn battlefield." The real story is fascinating (you can read all about it here), and it's easy to see this being a nice ensemble-driven piece with tons of meaty roles for actors and plenty of drama to take advantage of.

Paramount reportedly beat out five other studios to gain the rights to this movie, so they clearly see some big potential with this one. It's familiar territory for the studio, who distributed Clint Eastwood's 1979 classic Escape From Alcatraz, a film about another infamous real-life breakout from the prison. No word yet on who will direct this project, but we'll keep you posted with more when we hear it.