Paramount Pictures is looking to launch a new spy franchise, with the studio snapping up the rights to American author Ted Bell’s bestselling Alex Hawke book series and tapping screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (Salt) and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers) to develop a big screen adaptation.
Launching in 2003 with the publication of Hawke (which has since between followed by a further eight books), the series follows Lord Alexander Hawke, one of Britain’s most decorated naval heroes. As you’d expect, comparisons have naturally been drawn with Ian Fleming’s iconic spy James Bond, although unlike 007 Hawke has found himself in conflict with real people, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
