Ridley Scott In Talks To Helm Fox’s ‘Queen & Country’ Adaptation
Celebrated British director Ridley Scott is in talks to adapt Home & Country. The comic series focuses on the adventures of a female British spy.
Protecting Queen And Country
The Eisner-winning graphic novel series centers on Tara Chace. Scott is in the running to direct the adaptation for 20th Century Fox, with Chernin Entertainment producing alongside him.
Greg Rucka authored the popular series, which is illustrated by a variety of artists including Chris Samnee, Carla Speed McNeil, and even Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley.
It ran for 32 issues total, over the course of seven years, via Oni Press, which also published Scott Pilgrim. The series won the Eisner for Best New Series in 2002.
Home & Country centers on British Secret Intelligence Service operative Chace, whose top-secret identity is compromised following an assassination. Chace is the top member of a group of three field operatives dedicated to preserving British intelligence abroad. She gets drawn into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with an international terrorist, following an attack on London.
Settling On The Right Team
The proposed film has gone through several scriptwriters, with the original draft written by Rucka himself and John Rogers. A second draft followed, written by Ryan Condal, and that incarnation had actress Ellen Page attached to star with Craig Viveiros directing.
Ocean's 8 writer Olivia Milch also reportedly delivered a script at one point. If Scott does sign on, there will presumably be a new script for him to draw from.
Scott, who has steered clear of superhero and comic book based movies thus far, is an interesting choice to direct — given how busy the past year has been for him.
The director delivered All The Money in the World, which netted an Oscar nomination for star Christopher Plummer, and sci-fi sequel Alien: Covenant, both for Sony in 2017 alone. The in-demand filmmaker is also in talks to direct The Merlin Saga for Disney at some stage.
All The Money in the World was one of the most talked-about movies of the year after Scott, at the last minute, replaced star Kevin Spacey with Plummer for costly reshoots. The finished product was well-received by critics and gained serious points for Scott, for taking control of a potentially disastrous situation with Spacey.
Spy thrillers are de rigeur right now in Hollywood, following the release of Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Atomic Blonde last year. The Jennifer Lawrence-led Red Sparrow is currently in theaters, which features the Oscar-winning actress as a ballerina turned super-spy trained in the art of seduction.
