Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, the writing duo behind 2005’s controversial, poked-fun-at, and frankly rather great BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN are once again dipping back into the Western genre well. Double-dipping!
According to Deadline, the two will be adapting the novels The Color of Lightning for Ridley Scott (who has like, what, fifteen projects in active development already?) and Empire of the Summer Moon for CRAZY HEART director Scott Cooper, with the former being the first project they will tackle.
The Color of Lightning – from author Paulette Jiles – is about Britt Johnson, “a freed slave who moves his wife and three children to Texas with dreams of starting a freight business. When he’s away, a raiding party of Comanche and Kiowa kill his oldest son and take his family captive. Johnson spends a winter plotting revenge.” The tale is said to be based on a factual story that served as the inspiration for the John Ford/John Wayne 1956 classic THE SEARCHERS.
Empire of the Summer Moon – from author S.C. Gwynne – takes a much more sympathetic look at the Comanche. The story is about the great warrior ‘Quanah’, “who held the westward expansion of settlers at bay for 40 years, and led to the formation of the Texas Rangers to fight against them.”
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