Universal eyes Robert Ludlum film

Captivate may produce thriller 'Parsifal Mosaic'

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Universal is negotiating for screen rights to "The Parsifal Mosaic," a Robert Ludlum espionage thriller that shapes up as the first major project for Captivate Entertainment, the company that controls screen rights to Ludlum novels.

Captivate made an overall deal with the studio last year.

Run by Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith, Captivate's new deal gave Universal exclusive rights to continue the "Bourne Identity" series, and gave the studio first look at all Ludlum titles, 25 of which haven't yet been optioned for the screen.

Universal is working on a fourth "Bourne" film for Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass based on an original idea, and Universal and Strike Entertainment are prepping an adaptation of Ludlum's "The Sigma Protocol."

The early talks for "The Parsifal Mosaic" come in the wake of Tom Cruise entering negotiations to star with Denzel Washington for director David Cronenberg in the Ludlum thriller "The Matarese Circle" at MGM. The "Matarese" deal was made before Captivate landed at Universal.

"The Parsifal Mosaic" revolves around a U.S. intelligence agent who thinks he witnesses the execution of his lover, who was identified as a KGB double agent.

He retires, but sees her alive at a train station and attempts to find her and unravel a conspiracy. Soon, the agents become involved in an effort to track down Parsifal, a shadowy figure behind a blackmail scheme.

Universal is expected to put the film on a fast track.

The "Bourne" trilogy has grossed north of $1 billion worldwide for Universal.