Random House films and Focus Features have announced plans to turn Ross MacDonald’s The Galton Case into a film. The Galton Case features McDonald’s legendary Lew Archer.
Almost twenty years after Anthony Galton disappeared, along with a suspiciously streetwise bride and several thousand dollars of his family’s fortune, his mother wants him back. She hires Lew Archer to find him. What turns up is a headless skeleton, a boy who claims to be Galton’s son, and a con game whose stakes are so high that someone is still willing to kill for them.
No word as to whether or not they plan to update the story to a modern setting, or place it at the time of the novel, which is the 1950s.
The producers see the same potential in Galton as L.A. Confidential.
As always, I will keep everyone informed of any forward movement on the project.
I have read some of McDonalds books, having been introduced to his work by the always fantastic Jennifer Jordan, but not this one.
So a question to everyone: Who do you see as a good fit for the role of Lew Archer?
James Cromwell would make a good Archer… so would William Hurt… but I’m not sure neither would be a box office draw.
They’re obviously going to go young with Archer. And since GALTON is when Archer started to turn sideways to make his shadown disappear, I’d say Adrian Brody would work. He’s low-key enough, yet would hint there’s something more there than the story is showing.
OTOH, how do you follow in Paul Newman’s footsteps? Sure, they called him “Harper” in those movies, but Paul freakin’ Newman, man.
Ah, hell!
I agree with Adrian Brody. That would be a great choice.
This may seem like a stretch, but how about Vince Vaughn?