William Monahan On Director Shortlist For Once Were Cops

William Monahan, the writer behind films like The Departed, Body of Lies and Kingdom of Heaven, is reportedly on the director shortlist for the upcoming cop drama called Once Were Cops. If he takes the role, this would be Monahan’s second directorial effort, the first being London Boulevard, which hits theaters soon. Along with Monahan, the other director on the shortlist is David Michôd, the man behind the critically praised Animal Kingdom. Like Monahan, this would also be Michod’s second directorial effort.

Based on a novel, Once Were Cops is being described as an Irish-American cop drama, something Monahan is certainly familiar with. The summary, according to Amazon, is as follows:

In this stripped-down dark thrill ride from Edgar-finalist Bruen (The Guards), a psychotic Irish cop, Matthew Patrick O’Shea (everybody called me Shea), blackmails his way into a green card and a police exchange program that takes him from Galway to New York City for a one-year stint with the NYPD. Partnered with the brutal Kurt Kebar Browski (he looked like a pit bull in uniform), the clever sociopath, who has a hidden predilection for serial rape and strangulation, brazenly advances his ambitions despite intense attention from Internal Affairs and a mobster named Morronni.

Looks similar to The Departed. Definitely sounds interesting though. Early buzz on Monahan’s London Boulevard isn’t great so I’m not sure if he should take the director’s chair on this one. If you’ve seen Animal Kingdom, you’ll know how talented Michôd is. Perhaps he’s the better choice?

Your thoughts?