William Monahan tackles THE ART OF THE HEIST

by Matt Holmes

Project No. 541 for THE DEPARTED screenwriter William Monahan. Today's Variety have news that he has bought the rights to the non-fiction novel "The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Thief, Rock-and-Roller and Prodigal Son," based on the memoirs of career criminal Myles Connor. myles-j-connor-art-of-the-hiest The book written by Connor and his co-scribe Jenny Siler will be published by Harper Collins in April. If you hadn't guessed by the title (we fully expect the movie to be titled THE ART OF THE HEIST), Connor was a master thief who tended towards paintings and the arts. During the 70's and 80's, he would rob museums and art galleries around Boston. He even stole a Rembrandt in broad daylight with the only escape plan being to "run like hell"... (taken from the book description)...

He has used every technique in the book, from breaking and entering, to cat burglary, to false identities and elaborate con jobs. He once even grabbed a Rembrandt off a wall in broad daylight and simply ran like hell. His IQ is at genius level, and his charm is legendary. The fact that he was in jail at the time of the famous robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum€”which remains the largest art theft in American history€”has not stopped the FBI from considering him a top suspect in that still unsolved robbery.
He was also an accomplished rock musician and his band The Wild Ones, once backed Roy Orbison. Monahan will direct and although the trade doesn't mention it, will probably write the adaptation too as that's what we know for sure he is good at. Monahan, Oscar winning scribe for THE DEPARTED and with credits that include BODY OF LIES and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN... will make his directing debut in June when he begins filming the thriller LONDON BOULEVARD with Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley, a movie we announced here. How will he tackle this project? Will it be an INSIDE MAN style one job movie (probably not), a movie more like his DEPARTED with several jobs and a cat and mouse thriller (that takes my bet) and most importantly, whose allegiance will the movie lie... the robber/the cop chasing him down or both?
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Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.