Iron Man scribes and indie thriller Elite Squad director team for Ludlum adaptation Sigma Protocol

Elite Squad was a tension-filled, gritty drama that I watched a screening of some time ago (Read my review RIGHT HERE). I am pleasantly surprised that Universal has taken notice of Berlin Fest Golden Bear prize winner Jose Padilha, and are negotiating with him to helm the international thriller The Sigma Protocol, which is based on the Robert Ludlum espionage novel. This is according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.

I’m hoping results are similar to that of The Bourne Identity, which the studio chose indie director Doug Liman to helm, who brought a believability to the project and set the tone for the successful series that followed.

The studio has scheduled a summer 2009 shoot with European locations. Jeffrey Weiner of Ludlum Entertainment as well as Strike Entertainment are producing the project.

The Sigma Protoco is based on Ludlum’s final completed novel, which was published after the author’s death in 2001. The story involves a man on the run in Europe from assassins and government agents. The plot revolves around a World War II conspiracy and Nazis.

The movie will update the novel, using the current economic climate and make the protagonist a Wall Street type who specializes in the economy of catastrophic events, known as “black swan events.”

Iron Man co-writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum are writing the script.

Padilha is also attached to helm the thriller The Willing Patriot for Warner Bros. and the drug tale Marching Powder for Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.