Winning an Oscar for her performance in Gone Girl may have slipped by Rosamund Pike this past weekend, but 20th Century Fox knows a good thing when they see it. They've just signed Pike to take the female lead opposite Christian Bale in The Deep Blue Good-By, based on the popular crime novels by author John D. MacDonald.
Bale stars as Travis McGee, a self-professed "salvage consultant" who helps people find stolen property and get out of trouble. He's especially susceptible to troubled women, and often gets in over his head dealing with their violent ex-boyfriends.
James Mangold is directing with Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) and Scott Frank (The Lookout) having written the most recent drafts of the screenplay. MacDonald wrote 21 books featuring the McGee character so if this turns into a hit expect Fox to turn it into a franchise. [Variety]
