Paramount Lets Rights Lapse to Fincher Project

David Fincher, whose "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" cleaned up during the 2009 Academy Awards nominations, can't find a studio to make his next project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has let the rights lapse to Fincher's "Torso" project.

"Torso" is a 1998 comic-book series later collected into a graphic novel that tells the true story of Eliot Ness' pursuit of the "Torso Murderer." Paramount optioned the rights in 2006, but let the project slide in December 2008 rather than paying to secure the rights.

Here's where the story gets complicated, according to the HR: Paramount still owns a screenplay adaptation commissioned after it picked up the option. Rather than move forward than that and possibly cause a "Watchmen"-type legal battle, Paramount is reportedly trying to strike a new option deal with the graphic novel's creators.