Back in 1920s England, the turnover of celebrity news was so glacial it would have put the modern Daily Mail out of business. So when it was reported that Agatha Christie, darling of bloodthirsty readers everywhere, had disappeared in the kind of mysterious circumstances one needs Poirot to investigate, a nation collectively held its breath. Christie had vanished upon discovering her husband’s infidelity, and, given her history of depression, a well-publicised manhunt was instigated. She resurfaced ten days later in a Yorkshire hotel, but in the absence of any later explanation, the events of her hiatus became the subject of widespread speculation.
Nearly a century later, a spec script by Allison Schroeder (who carries a strike against her for the abominable “Mean Girls 2”), which fictionalises the events of the missing days, has been purchased by Paramount Pictures. Pitched, a little bizarrely, as “a female Sherlock Holmes meets ‘Romancing the Stone’,” “Agatha” will be directed by high-profile comedy specialist Will Gluck, whose record includes the surprise hit “Easy A” and the not-such-a-surprise hit “Friends with Benefits.”
But lest you Christie fans are concerned about Gluck turning the prized mystery writer into a blockbuster caricature, not to worry just yet as this is likely as long way off: the director has “Annie” to get to first in time for a Christmas Day 2014 release. [Deadline]
