Warner Bros. is heading into the future with "The Count of Monte Cristo," snapping up Ian Shorr's "Cristo" script and setting it up with Kevin McCormick's Langley Park.
Studio bought the script pre-emptively on Thursday and is fast-tracking the project with "Cristo" already submitted to directors. John Zaozirny and Bobby Sabelhaus are exec producing.
"Cristo" is described as a futuristic re-telling of "The Count Of Monte Cristo," Alexandre Dumas' classic adventure novel. The tale -- first published in 1844 -- centers on a young man who's unlawfully sentenced to an infamous island prison and escapes, then transforms himself into the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo and systematically destroys the men who manipulated and enslaved him.
"The Count of Monte Cristo" has been adapted numerous times by Hollywood, most recently in the 2002 Spyglass film for Disney, directed by Kevin Reynolds and starring Richard Harris, James Caviezel, Dagmara Dominczyk, Guy Pearce, and Luis Guzman.
It's a re-teaming for McCormick and Schorr, who also wrote thriller "Substitution" with Daniel Barber attached to direct for Alcon Entertainment with McCormick and Steve Crystal producing.
Warner-based McCormick produced the "Arthur" remake and is a producer with Dan Lin on "The Gangster Squad."
Matt Cherniss is overseeing "Cristo" for Warner Bros.
Shorr is repped by UTA, and manager Langley Perer of Benderspink and David Krintzman at Morris Yorn Barnes Levin Krintzman Rubenstein & Kohner.
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