20th Century has tapped Argentine director Pablo Trapero to direct an adaptation of Olen Steinhauer’s best-selling spy thriller “The Tourist,” TheWrap has confirmed. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe are producing.
The book’s plot is described as: “Milo Weaver has tried to leave his old life of secrets and lies behind by giving up his job as a ‘tourist’ for the CIA—an undercover agent with no home, no identity—and working a desk at the CIA’s New York headquarters. But staying retired from the field becomes impossible when the arrest of a long-sought-after assassin sets off an investigation into one of Milo’s oldest colleagues and friends.”
The original 2009 novel inspired three more sequels. It was not only a best-selling novel but also received heaps of praise, with Stephen King saying “The Tourist” was “the best spy novel I’ve ever read that wasn’t written by John le Carré.”
Trapero is an Argentine film producer, editor, writer and director, who has directed nine features (most recently 2018’s “La quietud”) and has directed episodes of Prime Video’s “ZeroZeroZero” and Apple TV+’s “Echo 3,” both acclaimed. He was also an executive producer on “Echo 3.” This will mark his first Hollywood feature.
Hollywood has long wanted to adapt “The Tourist” for the big screen, with George Clooney at one point set to acquire the rights. This could become the first of a potential franchise, with the latter books also ripe for development. Moritz, of course, has overseen the “Fast and the Furious” franchise (the tenth film was released earlier this year) and movies like “Escape Room,” “21 Jump Street,” “Goosebumps” and “XXX,” all of which inspired sequels.
Deadline first reported the news.
