Col Pix closes 'Shutter' deal
Petersen to direct claustrophobic thriller

March 19, 2003

By Michael Fleming

Columbia Pictures has made a preemptive buy of the Dennis Lehane novel "Shutter Island," which Wolfgang Petersen will develop as a directing vehicle.

Lehane's last book, "Mystic River," was adapted into a Warner Bros. film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne.

"Shutter Island" refers to an island in Boston's Outer Harbor that houses a federal institution for the criminally insane. Two U.S. marshals are dispatched to that facility to recapture a violent female escapee. They become stranded there as a major storm approaches and a series of dangerous mind games are being played on them. Book will be published April 15 by William Morrow, and the deal was made by the Gersh Agency with lit agency Ann Rittenberg.

"I have always loved claustrophobic settings. This island is a spooky location charged with atmosphere and mood," Petersen said. Petersen and Diana Rathbun will produce through his Radiant Films shingle, with Sam Dickerman exec producing. Col's Amy Baer will shepherd the project.

Petersen once had an overall deal at Sony, which distributed two of his films, "Air Force One" and "In the Line of Fire." He made the "Shutter Island" deal after Baer and Col co-presidents Matt Tolmach and Doug Belgrad sparked to the book.

Petersen will look to get a writer started. He's in Europe now, prepping to shoot "Troy," the David Benioff-scripted epic for Warner Bros. that stars Brad Pitt as Achilles and Eric Bana as Hector. Shooting begins April 22 in Europe.