There are nearly half a dozen takes on the classic Frankenstein story in the works in Hollywood right now, but apparently there's still room for one more. Variety reports that Fox has hired Max Landis, the writer of the in-development screenplay Chronicle and, yes, the son of John, to work on the screenplay for a new Frankenstein film. There's no word on what kind of take he'd have on the story, but with Proof playwright David Auburn working on one that incorporates Mary Shelley herself into the story, Matt Reeves directing one about Dr. Frankenstein attempting to save his brother's life, and Sony planning a modern day version of the story, he's going to have to think pretty hard to come up with something original.
When you've got so many similar projects in development at the same time, it becomes a kind of an arms race where only one winner is possible-- it's very rare that we wind up with situations like the one between Universal and Relativity Media, as each works on their own Snow White story. Who knows how Landis's project will fit into the derby, though he'll have to move fast if he wants to beat out some of these other ones, which have been in development for years. There's no one on board to direct this one right now, though apparently Paul Greengrass and David Yates are on the wishlist.
