"Usual Suspects" scribe gets "Shot" at directing

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Christopher McQuarrie, the Oscar-winning writer of "The Usual Suspects," could be hopping into the director's chair for the first time since his 2000 debut, "The Way of the Gun."

He has been hired to rework the Paramount thriller "One Shot," with an eye to direct. The project is based on a series of novels written by Lee Child that center on Jack Reacher, a military police officer-turned-drifter. "One Shot," the ninth book in the series, tells the story of a military sniper accused of murder who seeks Reacher's help.

It echoes the grittiness of "The Way of the Gun," which starred Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro as kidnapping drifters. McQuarrie has attempted several times to find a follow-up directing vehicle and came close with "The Stanford Prison Experiment." The psychological thriller was to have starred Paul Dano and Jesse Eisenberg, but financing fell through.

McQuarrie co-wrote the screenplay for the Bryan Singer-directed "Valkyrie," which grossed $200 million worldwide with star Tom Cruise. He also co-wrote the upcoming Johnny Depp-Angelina Jolie thriller "The Tourist."