No, Christopher McQuarrie is not remaking Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (though that's just happened in Japan). Producer Graham King hired him to adapt the ITV drama of the same name back in 2010, but things went quiet. Now McQuarrie is once more aboard and is stepping up to direct.
In its TV incarnation, Unforgiven starred Suranne Jones as Ruth Slater, a woman released from prison after a 15-year term for killing two police officers who had arrived to evict her from her family’s farmhouse.
All Ruth wants to do now is live a quiet life and reunite with her troubled younger sister, but some – including the police officers’ families – have other ideas.
King had wanted to woo Angelina Jolie to star back when McQuarrie was hired, so there’s a chance she’ll be getting an offer once the script is complete. But before that, there’s the small matter of McQuarrie’s schedule. While nothing is official, he’s the rumoured top choice to direct old pal/Jack Reacher collaborator Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 5, so if he has indeed taken that job, Unforgiven will have to wait a little longer.
Fans of McQuarrie should check out our fascinating, lengthy interview with the man. You can find it here…