Sony is falling in love with foreign language thrillers. With David Fincher in the midst of the English language version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," Sony has their eyes on another acclaimed property that they hope to turn into a success on this side of the ocean.
The studio has picked up the English language remake rights to "Der Rauber" ("The Robber"), an Austrian-German thriller that has made the festival rounds this year. Based on the novel by Martin Prinz and directed by Benjamin Heisenberg, the film "tells the real-life story of marathon runner Johann Rettenberger, known as "Pump-gun Ronnie," who made a hobby of robbing banks." We caught the film earlier this fall at the New York Film Festival and called it a "surprise thrill" marked by character driven thrills and some remarkable chase sequences. Clearly, Sony felt the same way.
Laura Ziskin will produce the remake, but no writer or director has been attached just yet. [Variety]