Will Universal Pictures Make a Mossad Movie?

By Nathan Burstein April 5, 2011

Americans love Mossad agents in their books and TV shows, and now they’ll get another helping at the movies.

Universal Pictures has announced its acquisition of the rights to the Gabriel Allon series, author Daniel Silva’s bestsellers about a Mossad agent turned art restorer. The studio hopes to turn the books into a franchise on the model of the “Bourne” movies — and has plenty of material to adapt, with Silva set to release the book series’ 11th installment in July.

Whoever ends up playing him, Allon should prove a sharp contrast from Hollywood’s other recent Mossad agents, who include Adam Sandler’s wannabe hairstylist in the comic “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” and Eric Bana’s conflicted assassin in the controversial “Munich.”

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