Summit Hopes Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf Get Caught in Peter Morgan’s RIPTIDE, a Seafaring Whodunit

With two Oscar nominations in recent years for his Frost/Nixon and The Queen screenplays, I’m sure Peter Morgan’s quote is on the rise.  But that hasn’t stopped wise studios from seeking his services, however: Summit hired Morgan to rewrite Richard McBrien’s script for Riptide, a “whodunit” set on the high seas.  The studio was confident enough in said screenplay to present it to Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf, coupled with an offer to star.  Details on the lead roles after the jump.

Pajiba provides a brief outline for Riptide:

“It’s about a handyman, a young stock broker, and the stock broker’s girlfriend. One of the men is found dead floating in the sea. The girlfriend is found at a nearby hotel. An investigator is called in to figure out what happened and why.”

The talks are in early stages, and there’s no guarantee that Pitt and LaBeouf will accept their offers.  But it would be an interesting (and very marketable) pairing, to be sure.  I would think that Summit is looking at Pitt for the investigator role, while LaBeouf is prepped to portray a young stock broker after his Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps gig.  Of course, I don’t want to be the one to rule out the possibility that either could be a very pretty handyman.

In addition to Riptide, Morgan has a bevy of scripts coming down the pipeline that hint at greatness.  Once MGM is no longer in shambles, his James Bond screenplay must be a top priority.  Morgan will form a powerful triumvirate with Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon in Hereafter (in theaters October 22nd).  And most recently, City of God director Fernando Meirelles signed on to helm Morgan’s adaptation of the 1900 Arthur Schnitzler play La Ronde.