Tom Hanks, studio double up on spy saga

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Hanks will produce a Nazi thriller based on the newly published biography "Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal."

New Line Cinema won the rights to Ben Macintyre's book, and Hanks will develop it with his producing partner, Gary Goetzman.

The book, published last week by Harmony Books, centers on the true-life story of Eddie Chapman, a criminal, con man and philanderer who was recruited by the Nazis at the beginning of World War II. Chapman quickly became a master of espionage, and while on a mission to destroy an airplane factory in Britain, contacted the M15, Britain's secret service, thus beginning his life as a double agent.

The bidding war, which ultimately came down to New Line and its Time Warner corporate sibling Warner Bros., was ignited by a dazzling review in the New York Times. Sources said New Line co-chairman Bob Shaye read the review and made it his mission to acquire the book. The deal was worth seven figures.

Warner Bros. made a movie about Chapman back in 1966 titled "Triple Cross." The film, which starred Christopher Plummer, was based on a book titled "The Eddie Chapman Story."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter