McQuarie to Pen Monster of Florence

The screenwriter behind the upcoming Tom Cruise film Valkyrie, Christopher McQuarie, has signed on with United Artist to pen the script from Monster of Florence according to this morning’s Variety.

Based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Preston (pictured) and Mario Spezi, Monster was inspired by real events in Preston’s life when, shortly after moving to Italy in 2000, he discovered that an olive grove on his property had been the scene of a brutal murder, which was only one of 8 double homicides police believe were commited by the same killer between 1968 and 1985.

The Usual Suspects writer said his script will actually focus on the writers, not necessarily the killer they are researching; "They witness first-hand how the misguided good intentions of others allow evil to flourish, eventually becoming a part of the story themselves." he told he trade.

McQuarie will also pen the script for an feature film version of the late-60’s British TV show The Champions, about a team of secret government agents whose plane crashes in the Himalayas, only to be rescued by an advanced race and given superhuman abilities. Sweet!

Keep it here for further Monster of Florence developments!

- Johnny Butane