Legendary Undertaking Operation Shakespeare

It’s not all comic books and superheroes over at Legendary Pictures, though perhaps that is where the bulk of its fame lies. On the contrary, the production company is talking to new screenwriter Michael Werwie about an adaptation of the recently published Operation Shakespeare, by John Shiffman – an investigative reporter for Reuters.

The work of Michael Werwie is as yet untested in practical terms, but he has already made Hollywood waves with his original screenplay Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile – which landed a well-ranked spot on the 2012 Black List, and brought Werwie a Nicholl Fellowship In Screenwriting that same year. Always seeking exciting new talent to work with, and interesting new directions in which to head, Legendary is apparently tapping the scribe for this adaptation job, once he has completed a script titled Lost Girls for Warner Bros.

The book in question, which announces itself as “the great untold national security story of our time,” relates the true tale of an international sting operation – staged by an elite Homeland Security team – designed to prevent foreign powers stealing US military technology. The weapons of war being ‘protected’ are tiny pieces of hardware with terrifying power – microchips, gyroscopes and the like – all designed to pass unnoticed, and all designed to guide missiles, detonate bombs of all sizes, see through solid structures and provide radar cloaking capabilities. Focusing on an Iranian arms broker, a team of US agents work to bring him down, along with elements within their own borders attempting to profit from such deals. An Iranian government plot to assassinate the broker only serves to complicate matters.

With a plot encompassing political intrigue, war profiteering and the highly questionable moral conduct of many of the world’s biggest financial institutions and banks, Operation Shakespeare could not be a hotter property. That Legendary would seek the services of a new screenwriter speaks to the talent it has seen displayed in his Black Listed script. All in all, this is shaping up to be a title we should all keep our eye on as it progresses through the development process.