Irwin Winkler is one of Hollywood's greatest producers. A true legend in the industry, he has been making movies since 1967 and has brought you such amazing titles as Raging Bull, Rocky, The Gambler, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and Goodfellas. But while his producing record is unquestionable, his writing record isn't nearly as strong. In his career he's only written two scripts - Guilty by Suspicion and Home of the Brave - and the last one came out all the way back in 2006 (he also directed both titles). Add in the fact that he's now 81 years old, and it makes today's news all the more surprising.
According to Deadline, Winkler and Jose Ruisanchez have been hired to adapt The Sigma Protocol, the last novel that Robert Ludlum wrote before he died. The project will be the first written by Ruisanchez, who has previously worked as a visual effects coordinator on The Mummy Returns and Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps. Ludlum's story follows a man vacationing in Switzerland when he witnesses an old acquaintance murder six people in cold blood. He quickly finds himself trapped in a conspiracy, with his only hope being a female federal agent that is on the killer's tracks.
Universal has been trying to adapt the novel since 2002, which was the same year that The Bourne Identity was released. Many directors have come an gone, including Antoine Fuqua, and Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Most recently, Jose Padilha was attached to helm the project, but the Deadline story doesn't mention him.
