Wow.
THR has reported that Edgar Award winner Dennis Lehane will adapt John D. MacDonald’s THE DEEP BLUE GOODBYE for the big screen.
The film, which will simply be called TRAVIS MCGEE, will star Leonardo DiCaprio is slated to play the title role.
Travis is a former navy man that lives on a houseboat (the Busted Flush) and acts as a “salvage consultant” and helps folks out for a large fee. He is described as a “knight in slightly tarnished armor” and usually ended up aiding a lovely lady.
TDBG was publshed in 1964 and was the first of 21 books to featuring McGee. It seems certain that Fox is hoping this will become a new franchise. Travis McGee hit the silver screen in 1970 when Rod Taylor played him in Darker than Amber. In 1983, a telefilm (based on The Empty Copper Sea) was made, for ABC, with Sam Elliot as McGee.
Lehane is a hot commodity in Hollywood these days. He has had three novels made into successful films (GONE BABY GONE, MYSTIC RIVER, SHUTTER ISLAND) with another short Story based film (ANIMAL RESCUE) recently completing production.   Lehane has previously written for TV (THE WIRE, BOARDWALK EMPIRE) and recently adapted his own story for the upcoming ANIMAL RESCUE.