Matthew McConaughey and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto are back together again. This time, they’ll serve to bring the iconic Mike Hammer to the big screen.
Deadline reports the pair will take on the mystery world again with this adaptation. Skydance is involved in the project that will see Pizzolatto pen the script and McConaughey lead the film as the titular character.
Skydance acquired the rights to Mickey Spillane’s and Max Allan Collins’ Mike Hammer franchise, with plans to develop it into a hit series of films. Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce along with Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady. Benjamin Forkner and Ken F. Levin are also attached. Carin Sage will oversee the project for Skydance.
The character of Mike Hammer serves as the protagonist for this series of hardboiled detective novels. It began with 1947’s I, the Jury, and the novels went on to sell more than 250 million copies globally. Many creatives have dubbed Hammer an inspiration for their most iconic characters, including Dirty Harry, Jack Reacher, and James Bond.
There have already been several films and television shows based on the character. Stacy Keach is the actor most often associated with the role, as he portrayed Hammer in a CBS television series, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, which ran from 1984 to 1987 and had a syndicated revival from 1997 to 1998.
