Sam Raimi, of course, directed the three Spider-Man flicks for Columbia and is eying a fourth one that is being written by James Vanderbilt. Raimi is also aligned to reinvent the Jack Ryan franchise at Paramount.

Books by the ever increasingly popular author, Dennis Lehane, can’t seem to be adapted fast enough after a string of successful and critically acclaimed (and soon to be critically acclaimed) film adaptations have put the author on the map. Clint Eastwood directed Mystic River, while Ben Affleck made his directing debut on Gone Baby Gone. Martin Scorsese has nearly completed production on Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role.

“The Given Day” is set in 1919 Boston, with the city in turmoil as soldiers are returning home from WWI, having brought back an epidemic of Spanish influenza. Attempts to unionize the police department have set the stage for a historic strike and two cops take center stage. “While it deals with many of the same themes as (Lehane’s) earlier work, it is also his most ambitious book, tying events of a century ago to the subjects we struggle with today,” Raimi said.

No timeline for the adaptation was given.