Adrian Lyne To Direct Steve Zaillian-Produced Thriller ‘Deep Water’

While Steven Soderbergh‘s “Side Effects” and Danny Boyle‘s “Trance” recently reignited the erotic drama/thriller, few filmmakers defined the genre in the way Adrian Lyne did. With films like “Flashdance,” “9 1/2 Weeks,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Indecent Proposal,” and “Lolita” all under his belt, he raised the temperature in the nation’s multiplex before kinda dropping off the grid following 2002’s “Unfaithful.” But it’s not like he hasn’t been trying. Last year, he was linked to an adaptation of John Grisham‘s “The Associate,” and while movement on that has been quiet, something else is gaining steam.

Lyne has signed on direct “Deep Water,” an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, produced by Steve Zaillian and written by Zach Helm. Initially reported to be a “dark, sexy comedy,” it’s not clear if they are taking a more sober approach (it’s now described as a thriller), but the story centers on a man who allows his wife to have affairs in order to keep their marriage intact and prevent a divorce. Unfortunately, her lovers start turning up dead. 

In the works for a while now — Mike Nichols once considered it — things seem to be moving fast, with an unnamed “big star” circling, and their schedule determining whether or not this gets made. But either way, it looks like Lyne is stepping right back into his wheelhouse after a decade away from the game. Does he still have the pulpy magic to make it all work? We’ll find out. [Deadline]