Dennis Lehane To Pen Remake Of Jacques Audiard S A Prophet

Dennis Lehane To Pen Remake Of Jacques Audiard’s ‘A Prophet’

By Angie Han/Oct. 29, 2013 1:00 pm EST

Audiard’s 2009 original starred Tahar Rahim on a young French man of Algerian descent who’s sent to prison in France. He quickly climbs to the top of the criminal hierarchy behind bars, becoming a kingpin in his own right.

The powerful drama garnered some of the highest praise in its year and was nominated for the Foreign Language Oscar in 2010 (though it ultimately lost to Argentina’s The Secret in Their Eyes). Whether such a movie really “needs” a remake is debatable, but if the remake must happen, at least it’s got a talented scribe on its side.

As a screenwriter, Lehane’s credits include Michaël R. Roskam’s upcoming Animal Rescue, which is based on his own short story, and episodes of The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. This summer, he attached himself to write Fox’s Travis McGee, based on John D. MacDonald’s 1964 mystery The Deep Blue Good-by, and last week he signed on for the studio’s fact-based Silk Road.