Matthew Vaughn and Miramax Tackle Debt

Matthew Vaughn, director of Layer Cake and Stardust, and frequent Guy Ritchie collaborator, has just sold a spec-script for The Debt, a remake of an Israeli thriller that he wrote with partner Jane Goldman, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Debt revolves around three Mossad agents who, 20 years after World War II’s end, learn that a Nazi war criminal is still alive and set out to pursue him across Europe. Assaf Bernstein directed the 2007 Israeli film, titled HaHov, which like the remake is set in the 1960s and 1990s. The Israeli movie was not released stateside.

Vaughn and Ritchie have worked together on a number of films, with Vaughn also producing Ritchie’s crossover hit Snatch.

Miramax acquired worldwide rights to the project, which Vaughn and producing partner Kris Thykier will produce through their Marv Films shingle. Miramax production and development vp David Greenbaum will oversee the project under president of production Keri Putnam.

Vaughn isn’t expected to direct The Debt with a number of directors said to be circling the project.