One of the projects Todd Field became attached to direct the long, empty space following 2006's Little Children was an adaptation of Jess Walter's book, Beautiful Ruins. It never came about, though, and Field eventually moved on to his current project, the 20-episode series Purity with Daniel Craig. But Beautiful Ruins is still out there, and now Sam Mendes is interested in giving it a go.
Mendes, who is looking for something else to do after a pair of James Bond flicks, will produce and potentially direct the film which takes place in Rome during the spring of 1962. The romantic tale follows three characters whose lives become intertwined during filming on Cleopatra (yes, that one) and is rekindled in modern day Hollywood.
While Walter had been set to adapt the screenplay herself alongside field, now those duties fall to Transparent writers Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue. It remains to be seen if Imogen Poots, who was set for the female lead originally, is still on board or if new casting will take place. Mendes has a couple of other projects percolating already, including a Disney adaptation of James and the Giant Peach.
