3. Mr. Paradise
What It's About: Leonard's first novel back in Detroit after several years playing in Florida, Mr. Paradise stars of simple: Lingerie model Kelly Barr is duped by her call girl roommate, Chloe Robinette, into helping her "entertain" a wealthy lawyer, Anthony Paradiso. What Kelly didn't know was there was a hit out on Mr. Paradiso and Chloe by Paradiso's right hand man, Montez Taylor. The next step is simple: Go along with Taylor's plan and impersonate Chloe and receive a fortune in the insurance settlement. They didn't expect other, more unsavory others, along with homicide detective Frank Desla to remain so intrigued by the death and trail of money.
Why It Should Be Adapted: One of the more noir stories Leonard wrote. The setup is simple yet not everything goes smooth which leads our characters to spiral out of control. Watching this unfold would be a visual and emotional treat for all of us. I'd love to see someone like Darren Aronofsky take a crack at this story. This story would need an uncompromising filmmaker who could mine all of the nuance out of the dark narrative. There are many colorful, minor roles to be filled in this story and that means short amounts of time spent filming which usually leads to the availability of prestigious talent. The role of Kelly Barr could be a star making role for the younger actresses in Hollywood while Frank Desla is perfectly suited for someone like Mark Ruffalo, who has past detective noir experience with Collateral. That leaves the show stopping role of Montez Taylor. You'd need an actor big enough to fill a scene but with the control to not become too bombastic. I'd say Terrence Howard would be the ideal choice. There's not enough gritty crime movies these days, let's add a good one.