The filmmaker behind Mosul is now all set to direct The Gatekeeper, which is in development at Amazon MGM Studios and Di Bonaventura Pictures.The movie is an adaptation of James Byrne’s New York Times bestselling novel Deadlock. The movie’s official logline, according to Deadline, reads: “The movie follows Desmond ‘Dez’ Aloysius Limerick, an unconventional, multi-talented ex-operative. After a chance meeting, saving the life of a reporter, Dez stumbles across a vast conspiracy and now must stop the forces intent on keeping their secrets safe.”
However, while the character was first introduced in James Byrne’s novel The Gatekeeper, the adaptation of the project, which was done by Oscar-winning L.A. Confidential scribe Brian Helgeland, is mostly based on the second Limerick novel, Deadlock.
The sequel thriller novel Deadlock was published on August 8, 2023, by Minotaur Books. The third novel in the series, Chain Reaction, was published in January 2025, and the fourth and final book, Storm Warning, was published in May 2026. With Matthew directing, Di Bonaventura Pictures and Pouya Shahbazian are producing the project.
Brian Helgeland recently wrote and directed Paramount+’s Finestkind, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Jenna Ortega, Ben Foster, and Toby Wallace. The movie premiered at TIFF 2023 and was loosely based on the filmmaker’s real-life experience as a commercial fisherman in his early twenties. In addition to winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for L.A. Confidential, Helgeland was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Mystic River.
His directing and writing credits include Payback, starring Mel Gibson; A Knight’s Tale, starring Heath Ledger; 42, starring Chadwick Boseman; and Legend, starring Tom Hardy. As solely a screenwriter, Helgeland also wrote Man on Fire and Green Zone. He is represented by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
American screenwriter, producer, and director Matthew Michael Carnahan is known for his work on tense, high-stakes films. His screenwriting credits include Paramount’s World War Z, released in 2013, which grossed more than half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. He also co-wrote Dark Waters and 21 Bridges, both released in 2019. Carnahan made his directorial debut with the highly acclaimed Arabic-language war film Mosul, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.
Further details about the cast, release, and production plans are yet to be revealed.
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