Hugh Jackman's Seed Productions and Fox2000 have made a deal to make an adaption of Robert Littell's novel The Amateur into an action film. This spy novel was previously made into a film in 1981 but will revisioned not a remake using the source material from the book. Evan Katz (24) has been tapped to scribe and he'll be contemporizing the tale away from the cold war era and launch the film's character into the same vein as Jack Ryan and Jason Bourne. This film is set to revolve around Jackman who will play a CIA Cryptographer whose fiancee is killed in a suspicious plane crash. When he discovers that the plane was brought down by terrorists, he finds the leverage that forces his bosses to train him to exact revenge. Hugh Jackman and John Palermo will be producing this film. Thanks Variety

Variety reports that Hugh Jackman's Seed Production has made a deal with Fox 2000 to turn Robert Littell's spy novel, The Amateur into an action film. "24" Executive Producer, Evan Katz has been tapped to write the script with Hugh Jackman and John Palermo producing. This story will revolve around a CIA cryptographer who's fiancee is killed in a suspicious plane crash and when he finds out that terrorists brought down the plane, he finds leverage to force his bosses to train to exact revenge. Littell's novel was set during the cold war and was previously made into a movie in 1981. This new project will use the same source material from the book and will contemporize the film to do a revision not a remake of the earlier film. The goal is to launch the character in the same vein of Jack Ryan and Jason Bourne. Thanks Coming Soon.net

Hugh Jackman's Seed Productions has recently secured a deal with Fox 2000 to turn The Amateur a spy novel by Robert Littell into an action film franchise. Evan Katz the Executive Producer of 24 will be writing the screenplay and Hugh Jackman and Seed Production co-producer John Palermo will be producing. This book has previously been made into a feature film in 1981 but writer Katz says this new film will be a more contemporary take on the novel and will focus on CIA cryptographer (Jackman) who's fiancee becomes involved in a suspicious plane crash, convincing the man to go after the suspected terrorists responsible. Thanks Hollywood North Report

Hugh Jackman has made a deal to star in the action film The Amateur, the character he'll be playing is a CIA desk jockey who insists on going into the field after the woman he loves is murdered. Hugh Jackman and John Palermo will be producing, along with their company Seed Productions for Fox 2000. Evan Katz, Executive Producer for 24, will be scripting based on John Littell's novel. Thanks If Magazine

MTV's usual round up of interesting movie news and such had a few words to say about Hugh Jackman's upcoming film The Amateur, here's the excerpt. Thanks MTV

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Possibly the busiest actor in 2006, we've already seen Hugh Jackman play a malicious magician, mutant menace, leading men for two unlikely duo of directors Darren Aronofsky and Woody Allen - and voice both in tap-dancing penguin and charismatic society mouse to boot. Now he's launching his own production company (Seed Productions) and searching for that next great tap-dancing mutant-magician script. "Now that I have a production company, I have so much coming up," he explained. "Because as a producer you develop a lot more than as an actor you sign on to." Jackman will, however, produce and star in "The Amateur" as a Jack Ryan-like action character out to uncover the truth about his wife's suspicious plane crash. "He's an everyman," the Aussie actor said of Charlie Heller, a CIA cryptographer. "Its sort of a moral story of an everyman who gets into a very extraordinary situation. And Evan Katz, of '24' fame, is writing it... it's a wonderful character, a guy who's very smart but has never really had to test his intellect in the field, until his wife dies and leaves him a number of clues that he has to follow up on." Based on Robert Littell spy novel, the film will likely hit theaters in 2008/9.

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Evan Katz, Executive Producer on 24 has just inked a seven figure deal for with 20th Century Fox to continue producing '24' and to develop new projects. Katz's two year pact with an option of a third, replaces the current one he has, which currently has one year left. Katz, who has previously worked on programs such as, UPN's 'Special Unit 2', 'JAG' and 'Seven Days' before joining'24'. '24' has been picked up for two more seasons and Howard Gordan made it clear that the real-time thriller is headed for a major makeover in the fall. Katz said, "Extending his relationship with 20th TV was an easy decision, and getting the opportunity to develop again is exciting." This article also has a short blurb on the upcoming film, The Amateur, here's what is said. Thanks Hollywood Reporter

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On the feature side, Katz has thriller "The Amateur" in the works at Fox 2000 with Hugh Jackman attached to star and produce with his producing partner John Palermo.

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