Frederick Forsyth’s The Odessa File is getting another screen adaptation, Deadline reports.
The late British author’s thriller, published in 1972 by Viking, follows Peter Miller, a journalist who discovers a diary detailing the atrocities committed by real-life Nazi war criminal Eduard Roschmann. Miller finds out that Roschmann is part of a cabal of Nazis committed to protecting fugitive SS members. A critic for Kirkus called the book “all very exciting.”
The novel was adapted into a 1974 film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Jon Voight, Mary Tamm, and Maximilian Schell. The film brought renewed attention to Roschmann, who was arrested in Argentina after its release. He skipped bail and moved to Paraguay before dying in 1977.
The new adaptation is being produced as a television series by Zero Gravity Management and Romulus Films. It will be written by Simon Fellows, the director of films including Malice in Wonderland and A Dark Place.
“This is not a remake; it’s a totally fresh take,” Fellows told Deadline. “We’re combining several genres—period, conspiracy, thriller, action, and a touch of the revenge Western—all revolving around a 1960s autobahn-fueled road movie to catch a monster.”
The series comes on the heels of another Forsyth adaptation, the new series version of The Day of the Jackal, which premiered last year and has been renewed for a second season.
Forsyth died in June at the age of 86.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
