With new takes on literary classics all the rage at the moment (see: Cary Fukunaga and Andrea Arnold‘s revisioning of the Bronte sisters’ “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights“), Michael De Luca is set to produce a contemporary, gender-bending take of Charles Dickens‘ “Oliver Twist” with ‘Twilight’ star Ashley Greene toplining.
The classic tale of the titular orphan and his misadventures has been a gold mine for Hollywood over the years with multiple adaptations — the most recent being Roman Polanski‘s take in 2005 starring Barney Clark as Oliver Twist. This latest adaptation will follow 19-year-old Olivia (Greene) and a group of highly trained street urchins who, upon accepting a kidnapping job, find themselves in the middle of a turf war between opposing criminal factions. The script by Michael Roberts is noted to “combine Dickensian elements with a Gothic backdrop.”
“Olivia Twisted,” as the project has been christened, came together in Toronto — Greene is there for political satire “Butter” which was her first teaming with De Luca, who’s also there for Bennett Miller‘s “Moneyball.” Alissa Phillips, Frank Mancuso Jr. and Eric Gores are also on board in a producing capacity.
No word yet on when everything could come together. Still without a helmer, fruition of the project seems a while off. Boss Media, however, bought the project in a preemptive bid last weekend after also seeing their rom-com “Ten Year” premiere at TIFF. [Variety]