According to Deadline, Ruben Fleischer will direct Chris Evans in Jekyll, a Lionsgate picture. The film will be based on the 2007 BBC One series. Evans joined the project in July to play the lead role of Tom Jackman, who was portrayed by James Nesbitt in the original series. However, there is a rival project at Universal that centers on Russell Crowe in the lead role. As of now, Fleischer is in the middle of developing Sony’s Zombieland sequel, a potential follow-up to the original that starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Emma Stone.
Jekyll will be produced under A Very Good Production banner – Marc Platt, Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman’s company. The script is being written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry (The Nice Guys, Doc Savage, Death Note). The screenplay is an adaptation of the Steven Moffat six episode mini series.
The mini series centered around Jackman, a modern day descendant of Jekyll, from the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jackman, a father and husband, abandons his family, and lives in a fortified basement with a psychiatric nurse. They strap the doctor to a metal chair, and the nurse watches his transformation. Jackman becomes a scoundrel, who is also charming and flirtatious. He tries to co-exist with this two personalities, and eventually tries to regain a connection with his the family he left behind.
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