Todd Field has found a financier for his long-gestating follow up to "Little Children."
Cross Creek Pictures will produce and finance "The Creed of Violence, which Field will write and direct.
Field has had a prolonged hiatus with his name frequently attached to several projects, but he had not slid behind the camera since "Little Children," his darkly comic look at suburban malaise, premiered in 2006.
Also read: Fresh Out of the Gate, Cross Creek Makes 'Black Swan' Splash
This will be only the third feature directed by Field, who made a name for himself with 2001's "In the Bedroom," his dirge-like examination of a family ripped apart by a murder.
"The Creed of Violence" is based on a novel by cult writer Boston Teran and takes place in during the Mexican Revolution of 1910.
It focuses on a small-time assassin and a Bureau of Investigation agent and their attempts to infiltrate the Mexican criminal underground.
At one point, Leonardo DiCaprio was said to be circling the project, but Cross Creek did not tip its hand about casting on the film.
Cross Creek's Brian Oliver will produce along with Field and Michael DeLuca ("Moneyball"). The production is targeting an early 2013 start date to shoot in both the American Southwest and parts of Mexico. The movie will be distributed by Universal Pictures through their deal with Cross Creek.
“The book and Todd’s adaptation remind me of Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness,'” Oliver said in a statement. “Teran’s novel brings a unique perspective to U.S. imperialism for oil in the early 20th century. We are confident that Todd’s skill for deeply felt, emotionally resonant characters combined with this action-packed story will make for an epic, influential film.”
It has been a busy week for Cross Creek, which also announced that has signed a three-year deal with Exclusive Media to finance, develop and produce at least two films a year.
First out of the gate will be "A Walk Among the Tombstones,” a thriller starring Liam Neeson as an unlicensed private detective hired to find the kidnapped wife of a drug dealer.
