Update 12/12: Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures is attached to produce “The Good Nurse,” however while the filmmaker will be the first to consider directing, he is not attached to do so at this time.
Perhaps we haven’t seen the last of Darren Aronofsky‘s “Noah.” With the film picking up a Golden Globe nomination this morning for Best Song for Patti Smith‘s “Mercy Is,” we wouldn’t be surprised if there is a little push in that category as Oscar ballots head out to voters. But what will the director be working on next? Well, over at HBO he’s developing Margaret Atwood‘s “MaddAddam,” and he was one of the directors circling a hot sci-fi script from earlier this year, “Moonfall.” But another project has surfaced which could mark an interesting new direction for the filmmaker.
Revealed in the midst of The Tracking Board‘s 2014 The Hit List, Aronosfky’s is attached to direct “The Good Nurse,” with the movie set up at Lionsgate. Based on the book by Charles Graeber, and being adapted by Krysty Wilson-Cairns (whose sci-fi script “Aether” is getting some attention), it tells the shocking true story of a nurse who turned out to be one of the most deadly serial killers in history. Here’s the book synopsis:
After his December 2003 arrest, registered nurse Charlie Cullen was quickly dubbed ‘The Angel of Death’ by the media. But Cullen was no mercy killer, nor was he a simple monster. He was a favourite son, husband, beloved father, best friend, and celebrated caregiver. Implicated in the deaths of as many as 300 patients, he was also perhaps the most prolific serial killer in American history. Cullen’s murderous career in the world’s most trusted profession spanned sixteen years and nine hospitals across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Investigative journalist Charles Graeber’s portrait of Cullen depicts a surprisingly intelligent and complicated young man whose promising career was overwhelmed by his compulsion to kill, and whose shy demeanor masked a twisted interior life hidden even to his family and friends. Were it not for the hardboiled, unrelenting work of two former Newark homicide detectives racing to put together the pieces of Cullen’s professional past, and a fellow nurse willing to put everything at risk, including her job and the safety of her children, there’s no telling how many more lives could have been lost. In the tradition of In Cold Blood, The Good Nurse does more than chronicle Cullen’s deadly career and the breathless efforts to stop him; it paints an incredibly vivid portrait of madness and offers an urgent, terrifying tale of murder, friendship and betrayal.
A procedural in the hands of Aronofsky sounds compelling, particularly if coupled with the portrait of a madman, so consider us intrigued. Wilson-Cairns’ agency United Agents also confirms she’s penning the movie for Aronofsky, but it’s not clear if it will be his next project. But it’s definitely one with potential and promise, so we’ll keep our ear to the ground.
