Adam Wingard has definitely been showing off his directorial cred with low budget thrillers such as A Horrible Way to Die and You’re Next, which have caught the attention of Hollywood. Now Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has tapped Wingard for their languishing spy thriller Dead Spy Running, with screenwriter Simon Barrett hired to take a stab at the script.
The project is based on the Jon Stock book of the same name, which is the the first in a trilogy. The story follows Daniel Marchant, a young DJ who is framed for the murder of his father, a disgraced MI6 agent. He goes on the run with a beautiful secret agent to uncover his father’s past and clear his name for good.
Warners first picked up the book back in October 2008, with McG was attached to direct. Simon Barrett will rewrite the original adapted script by Stephen Gaghan and Jamie Moss. McG is still involved but only as a producer.
Jonathan Levine got huge amounts of indie cred for All The Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Wackness, and since going slightly more mainstream with the much praised 50/50 last year, he’s been even more in demand. He recently filmed the zombie rom-com Warm Bodies and may move from that to Dead Spy Running, according to