Already an Oscar-winner (“Schindler’s List”) and nominated twice more (“Awakenings” and “Gangs of New York”) and one of the most highly paid writers in Hollywood (he allegedly was paid in excess of $4 million for “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” script that David Fincher is planning on directing), Steve Zaillian is continuing his transition from writer to powerful producer.
The screenwriter is now producing an international heist thriller, but details are under wraps other than the picture is a DreamWorks-led untitled action thriller from John Hlavin, a writer and story editor on “The Shield” (his Western”The Gunslinger” made the Black List in 2009). He’s also in demand and was hired to write “Underworld 4.”
Zaillian is currently re-writing (or finishing) the Aaron Sorkin draft of his original draft of “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt (get that? Zaillian’s getting paid twice to rewrite the same script he already wrote; this also happened on “American Gangster” which he also wrote and rewrote and was paid very handsomely for each time). Also an executive producer on ‘Dragon Tattoo,’ the writer/producer and director (“Searching for Bobby Fischer,” “Al The Kings Men”) is also adapting the U.K. “Red Riding” trilogy for Ridley Scott, and “The Irishman” for Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro among many, many other projects. [THR]
