Sam Raimi adapting Dennis Lehane novel

When you think of the next project from the studio and director that brought you the first three installments of the Spider-Man series, what comes to mind? If your answer is "police strike in early 1900’s influenza-ridden post-WWI Boston," well, frankly, you’re lying.

Director Sam Raimi is reuniting with Columbia Pictures for the adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s upcoming novel The Given Day. Big production comic-book film this is not; this is an ambitous story Raimi is fully capable of directing if you look a bit further back in his repertoire to films such as 1998’s A Simple Plan.

Raimi also has Lehane’s impressive Hollywood marketability to fall back on for the project. Lehane has recently become quite a powerful force in the industry, penning the Clint Eastwood directed Mystic River and Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone. Martin Scorcese is also currently directing an adaptation of his 2003 novel Shutter Island. Lehane also joined the staff of The Wire in 2004 as a special officer in season three. Who knew the dude that wrote Mystic River had street cred? Hopefully the Lehane/Method Man collab will soon follow.

The Given Day will be released in novel form by HarperCollins on September 23.

Related links:
Sam Raimi on IMDb
Harper Collins: The Given Day
Feature: Dennis Lehane: Breaking Genre Rules

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