Thanks to Hollywood, Robert Ludlum is a writer re-Bourne

march.26.09

Jason Bourne has been good to his father.

Hollywood had forgotten the late thriller writer Robert Ludlum until the trilogy of Matt Damon blockbusters reignited interest in his novels about rogue heroes, sinister cabals and byzantine global treachery.

Now, eight years after his death, the best-selling author is back in style.

"We most likely wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't for the success of The Bourne Identity," says Jeffrey Weiner, executor of the author's estate and CEO of Ludlum Entertainment.

Weiner and producing partner Ben Smith are shepherding several Ludlum stories through their movie production company, Captivate Entertainment, and attracting interest from such stars as Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio.

In the pipeline: The Matarese Circle stars Washington as a CIA agent who teams with his Russian rival (Cruise is in negotiations) to foil a ring of assassins. David Cronenberg will direct for MGM.

And DiCaprio is looking to produce and star in The Chancellor Manuscript, about a novelist whose thrillers hit too close to home for some government officials.

Ludlum died in 2001 at 73, a little more than a year before the debut of The Bourne Identity. Since then, the three movies have earned Universal about $945 million worldwide, not counting DVD or TV grosses.

Smith, who helped set up the first Damon film, says Ludlum is viable because of the David vs. Goliath themes. "They're all about one or two people up against huge government conspiracies, multinational conspiracies, terrorist threats and military conspiracies."

But Ludlum also rooted his novels in the Cold War, which is why they often are updated for the screen. After the Cold War, his books felt dated, which may explain why studios stopped paying attention.

"Classic works, whether it's Nobel Prize literature or works of popular fiction, can have a life long after their initial publication," says Jeffrey Berg, CEO of talent agency ICM, which has helped bring Ludlum back into the spotlight. "We've been able to create a whole second bounce on these properties."

Meanwhile, Universal, Captivate and ICM are assembling what Smith calls "the jewel in the crown": a fourth Bourne movie. "Everything is under wraps," he says when asked for a teaser. "I mean, come on, really."