LA-based Capstone is at the wheel to help bring New York Times bestselling author James Swallow’s “Marc Dane” spy-thriller novels to the big screen as of Thursday. First up will be international 2016 Bonnier publication, Nomad, with Capstone’s Christian Mercuri and Head of Production Joe Gatta producing alongside David Haring (The Guilty, Bill & Ted Face the Music).
“Nomad” inaugurated the hit franchise introducing audiences to protagonist Dane, the MI6 field agent at home behind a computer screen, one step away from the action. When a brutal attack on his team leaves Marc as the only survivor – and with the shocking knowledge that there are traitors inside MI6 – he’s forced onto the front lines. Other titles in the literary series include “Exile,” “Ghost,” “Rough Air,” “Shadow,” “Rogue” and “Outlaw.”
“Very excited to see this riveting spy series hit the screen,” said Haring. “Nomad is a taut, fast paced thriller with more twists and turns than the Formula One circuit in Monaco.”
“I had a very specific creative vision when I wrote the Marc Dane series,” said Swallow. “The enormously talented team at Capstone understand and share this desire to bring a relatable, everyman action hero to the big screen, and are the perfect partner for these high-tech, high-octane thrillers. The stories, with their breakneck pace and beautiful locations, really lend themselves to feature film adaptation – they will be unstoppable in the visual medium.”
“Everyone at Capstone is excited to start building a feature film franchise based on James Swallow’s bestselling book series,” said Gatta. “Producing these films from the beloved IP gives us the ability to launch a highly commercial, mainstream studio franchise that serves not only the legions of established fans of the Marc Dane stories but brings in new fans to explore this dynamic genre.”
The project is reportedly on the fast track and is currently out to writers for the screenplay adaption. Books in the series have topped multiple bestseller lists, including The Sunday Times, The Irish Times and Amazon, as well as receiving multiple nominations for the coveted Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.
In addition to his accolades with the Times, UK-based Swallow is also a BAFTA-nominated writer of over fifty-five novels, and scripts for radio, television and interactive media. He has also written for several major intellectual properties, including “24”, “Tom Clancy,” “Star Trek,” “Marvel” and many more.
Capstone is currently bringing epic Gerard Butler spy-thriller Kandahar to fruition following its on-location shoot in AlUla, in northwest Saudi Arabia and Jeddha. The company is also in production on Silent Night, the first U.S. action film in decades to be directed by the iconic Chinese filmmaker John Woo and starring Joel Kinnaman and is financing writer-director Dean Craig’s The Estate starring Toni Collette and Anna Faris, which is also currently in production.
