Rights to political thriller “The Amateur American” has been picked up by Likely Story, the group announced Thursday. Based on the novel by J. Saunders Elmore, Ross Katz will write the screenplay and direct. The film is a thriller about a young American expatriate in France who is drawn into a web of violent political intrigue, corruption and murder when he takes a job translating for a shadowy powerbroker. Stefanie Azpiazu, Likely Story’s head of development, negotiated the film rights to Mr. Saunders debut novel with Nick Harris at RSWH Agency on behalf of Chris Parris-Lamb at The Gernert Company. “‘The Amateur American’ is this generation’s ‘Three Days Of The Condor’ – a swift, smart, complex novel of a young man stumbling into a murky world of contemporary terrorism/counter-terrorism, where the mechanics of deception override the politics,” commented Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman in a statement. “Right around the time we read the novel we had the good fortune of seeing an early print of Ross Katz‘s ‘Taking Chance,’ a movie which blends politics and emotions so powerfully, we knew right away that Ross would be our guide from book to screen.” Likely Story is a New York-based production company founded by Anthony Bregman in October 2006. Its credits include Charlie Kaufman‘s directorial debut, “Synecdoche, New York.” [Brian Brooks]
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