DC Comics’ Vertigo Imprint story Sleeper has been in film development since shortly after it debuted in 2003. At one point, Sam Raimi and Josh Donen were producing it, and Tom Cruise’s name was attached. Now it’s back in development at Warner, with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Jennifer Todd producing.
No directors or actors are lined up yet, but Warner has hired The Shield creator and showrunner Shawn Ryan as well as David Wiener (The Killing) to adapt Ed Brubaker’s comic for the screen.
Sleeper — set in noir universe where a few people are spontaneously developing superpowers — follows Holden Carver, a man who can absorb pain and pass it on to others, as he infiltrates a criminal organization on behalf of a law enforcement agency. His allegiances come into question, especially when he falls for the alluring killer, Miss Misery. [Variety]
At first I thought the headline said Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were remaking Sleepers, and I thought, “Kevin Bacon’s gotta stop molesting these kids!”
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