While Universal Pictures wrestle over the future direction of the Bourne franchise, the studio is pushing ahead with an adaptation of another Robert Ludlum novel, The Janson Directive, with Dwayne Johnson (Hercules) taking to Twitter to confirm that he’s set to star in the spy thriller, which is being penned by Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind).
Published posthumously in 2012, the synopsis for Ludlum’s The Janson Directive reads as follows…
When billionaire philanthropist Peter Novak is kidnapped by a terrorist known as The Caliph, it’s up to Paul Janson—a legend in the notorious U.S. covert agency Consular Operations—to save him. But Janson’s rescue operation goes horribly wrong…and soon Janson is marked for death, the target of a “beyond salvage” order issued from the highest level of the government. Now Janson is running for his life, pursued by Jessica Kincaid, a young agent of astonishing ability who can anticipate and counter his every move. To survive, Janson must outrace a conspiracy that has gone beyond the control of its originators. To win, he must counter it with a conspiracy of his own…
Originally published September 28, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
