Last year, Darren Aronofsky entered early negotiations to direct 20th Century Fox's adaptation of the Jason Matthews spy novel Red SparrowHeat Vision reports Aronofsky has moved on from the project, and is now looking elsewhere for his follow-up to the biblical epic Noah (due in theaters March 28).  Fox still has high hopes for the project and will now focus on finding a writer to adapt the script.  Given that development will take time, the report suggests Fox could leave the door open if Aronofsky wants to return when the project is ready.

Steve Zaillian (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Garrett Basch (The Cold Light of Day), and Peter Chernin (Oblivion) are on board as producers.  Read the book synopsis after the jump.

red sparrow rooney mara david fincher

In present-day Russia, ruled by blue-eyed, unblinking President Vladimir Putin, Russian intelligence officer Dominika Egorova struggles to survive in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle. Ordered against her will to become a “Sparrow,” a trained seductress, Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a young CIA officer who handles the Agency’s most important Russian mole.

As the action careens between Russia, Finland, Greece, Italy, and the United States, Dominika and Nate soon collide in a duel of wills, tradecraft, and—inevitably—forbidden passion that threatens not just their lives but those of others as well. As secret allegiances are made and broken, Dominika and Nate’s game reaches a deadly crossroads. Soon one of them begins a dangerous double existence in a life-and-death operation that consumes intelligence agencies from Moscow to Washington, DC. [Amazon]