The Blade Itself

Last updated
The Blade Itself
The Blade Itself book cover.png
Author Marcus Sakey
LanguageEnglish
Genre Crime
Publisher St. Martin's Press
Publication date
2007
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback)

The Blade Itself is a 2007 crime thriller novel by Marcus Sakey.

Contents

Plot summary

The novel, set in Chicago, is the story of two childhood friends and young criminals, Danny Carter and Evan McGann. Years after their criminal partnership dissolved, like Carter has reformed himself and started a respectable new life, his former partner soon returns from prison to threaten Carter's peaceful new existence with demands of re-teaming.

Reception

The Blade Itself was selected as a New York Times Editor's Pick and named one of Esquire Magazine's 5 Best Reads of 2007. [1]

Potential film adaptation

In 2008, director and actor Ben Affleck bought the film rights to the novel for his production company. [2] [3] On November 3, 2009, Chris Pine was expected to star, Affleck would produce and write a draft of the script, and Steven Zaillian and Sam Raimi were in negoiations to direct. [4] In October 2014, Raimi was set to produce the film adaptation without Affleck, with Aaron Stockard writing the script, and Tobey Maguire starring and producing the film. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Raimi</span> American filmmaker (born 1959)

Samuel M. Raimi is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the Evil Dead franchise (1981–present) and the Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the superhero movie Darkman (1990), the revisionist western The Quick and the Dead (1995), the neo-noir crime thriller A Simple Plan (1998), the supernatural thriller The Gift (2000), the supernatural horror Drag Me to Hell (2009), the Disney fantasy Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), and the Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

<i>Spider-Man</i> (2002 film) Film by Sam Raimi

Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay by David Koepp, it is the first installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris. The story follows timid teenager Peter Parker, who gains superhuman abilities after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider. He adopts the masked persona "Spider-Man" and begins to fight crime in New York City, facing the malevolent Green Goblin in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Affleck</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1972)

Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984–1988). He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Chasing Amy (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobey Maguire</span> American actor and film producer (born 1975)

Tobias Vincent Maguire is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), a role he later reprised in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

<i>Spider-Man 2</i> 2004 film by Sam Raimi

Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story conceived by Michael Chabon and the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the film was produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Enterprises and Laura Ziskin Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the second installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and the sequel to Spider-Man (2002). The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, and Donna Murphy. Peter Parker fights to stop scientist Dr. Otto Octavius from recreating a dangerous experiment, while also dealing with a personal crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Koepp</span> American screenwriter (born 1963)

David Koepp is an American screenwriter and director. He is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.3 billion. Koepp has achieved both critical and commercial success in a wide variety of genres: thriller, science fiction, comedy, action, drama, crime, superhero, horror, adventure, and fantasy.

<i>Spider-Man 3</i> 2007 film by Sam Raimi

Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, and Laura Ziskin Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it was directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent. It is the final installment in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, and the sequel to Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Rosemary Harris, and J. K. Simmons. It also marks the final acting appearance of Cliff Robertson before his retirement in the same year and his subsequent death in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Carnahan</span> American film director

Joseph Aaron Carnahan is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor whose films include Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane; Narc; Smokin' Aces; The A-Team; The Grey; and Boss Level. He also wrote and directed several episodes for the NBC television series The Blacklist. He is the brother of screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan and producer Leah Carnahan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man in film</span> Film adaptations of the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man

Spider-Man has appeared in film since his first adaptation in 1977, a television film broadcast on CBS. The film rights to Spider-Man belonged to Marvel Entertainment until 1999, when Sony Pictures bought them for $7 million. He has been Marvel's most successful character in the American film industry ever since.

Niels Arden Oplev is a Danish film director and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Sakey</span> American novelist

Marcus Sakey is an American author and host of the Travel Channel show Hidden City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holliday Grainger</span> English actress (born 1988)

Holliday Clark Grainger, also credited as Holly Grainger, is an English screen and stage actress. Some of her prominent roles are Kate Beckett in the BAFTA award-winning children's series Roger and the Rottentrolls, Lucrezia Borgia in the Showtime series The Borgias, Robin Ellacott in the Strike series, DI/DCI Rachel Carey in the Peacock/BBC One crime drama The Capture, and Estella in Mike Newell's 2012 film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1861 novel Great Expectations.

<i>Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</i> 2014 American action drama film

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a 2014 American action drama film based on the character Jack Ryan created by author Tom Clancy. It is the fifth film in the Jack Ryan series and the second reboot thereof. Unlike its predecessors, it is not an adaptation of a particular Clancy novel, but rather an original story. Chris Pine stars in the title role, becoming the fourth actor to play Ryan, following Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars alongside Kevin Costner, and Keira Knightley.

<i>Triple 9</i> 2016 American film

Triple 9 is a 2016 American heist action thriller film directed by John Hillcoat and written by Matt Cook. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins Jr., Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer, Michael K. Williams, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, and Kate Winslet.

<i>The Finest Hours</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Craig Gillespie

The Finest Hours is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The screenplay, written by Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul Tamasy, is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The film stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana, and chronicles the historic 1952 United States Coast Guard rescue of the crew of SS Pendleton, after the ship split apart during a nor'easter off the New England coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridley Scott's unrealised projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Ridley Scott projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, English film director Ridley Scott has worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell or were officially canceled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Raimi's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Sam Raimi projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director and producer Sam Raimi has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects, are officially cancelled and scrapped or fell in development hell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series)</span> Film character portrayed by Tobey Maguire

Peter Benjamin Parker, also known by his alter ego Spider-Man, is a superhero portrayed by Tobey Maguire, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. He is the protagonist of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film in 2002, and its two sequels with the tie-in video games. This version of the character was followed by Andrew Garfield's portrayal in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man duology (2012–2014), with a further iteration being portrayed by Tom Holland set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) (2016–present). Maguire reprised his role as a supporting character in the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), appearing as an older version of himself alongside his two successors' versions of the character. To distinguish himself from the two other versions of himself, he is nicknamed "Peter-Two" by them, referred to by Marvel's official website as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and in the film's script as "Raimi-Verse Peter" and "Raimi-Verse Spider-Man".

Will Staples is an American screenwriter, producer, and novelist. He is best known for his work on the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the films Without Remorse and Sweet Girl, the television series The Right Stuff, and his novel, Animals.

The following is a list of unproduced Ben Affleck projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American filmmaker Ben Affleck has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.

References

  1. "Marcus Sakey, author of THE BLADE ITSELF, a crime thriller from St. Martin's Minotaur". www.marcussakey.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-10.
  2. Hilton, Beth (March 11, 2008). "Affleck brings 'Blade Itself' to big screen". Digital Spy . Hearst UK Entertainment Network. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  3. "THE READERS' WRITERS: Interview with Marcus Sakey - Freeport, IL - the Journal-Standard". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  4. Anderton, Ethan (November 3, 2009). "Chris Pine Still Attached to Ben Affleck Scripted The Blade Itself". FirstShowing. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  5. Whitehead, Donna (October 23, 2014). "{TB EXCLUSIVE} Tobey Maguire to Produce and Star in Sam Raimi's "The Blade Itself"". The Tracking Board. Retrieved January 17, 2025.