James Mangold Up For The Deep Blue Good-By, But Leonardo DiCaprio Won’t Star

It’s one-off and one-on for The Deep Blue Good-by. Last May Leonardo DiCaprio signed on to star in an adaptation of John D. MacDonald’s 1964 novel The Deep Blue Good-by. He’s now decided not to appear in the movie (although he will still produce), but The Wolverine’s James Mangold is now in negotiations to direct, according to Deadline.

The Deep Blue Good-by is was the first in a long-running series of books that centre on the character of Travis McGee. The  character lives on a houseboat, called The Busted Flush, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he takes”salvage consultant” jobs whenever he is running low on money, recovering lost items for clients for half of the profits.

After he meets the battered Lois, he tries to track down her abusive boyfriend, a journey which becomes far more violent and complicated than he imagined.

Dennis Lehane wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, which was previously worked on by Kario Salem and Dana Stevens. It’s not known when it might shoot, or who DiCaprio’s replacement will be.