Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the Ross Macdonald mystery series focusing on Lew Archer, a private detective.
Plans are to launch a franchise beginning with the eighth book in the series, 1959’s The Galton Case.
This isn’t the first times the character has been adapted to screen. Paul Newman played the character twice in 1966’s Harper and 1975’s The Drowning Pool.
The novels are set in 1950’s Los Angeles, but I’d imagine the franchise would be moved to present day. The back cover of the 1983 edition describes the plot:
Rich boy Anthony Galton had dropped out of sight more than twenty years ago. To Lew Archer that meant the man was either dead or didn’t want to be found. But Tony’s nice old mother had a dream that her son would still come home before she died. So Archer took on the case hoping that Tony and Mom could live happily ever after… until he discovered that once upon a time there was a clever swindle, a scared blonde, and a very nasty murder.
Joel Silver will produce with partners partner with Random House Films and Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will serve as executive producers. RHF head Peter Gethers will executive produce with series rights holder Stephen White.
