Martin Scorsese has officially added yet another movie to his list of potential projects.  THR reports that Scorsese has been confirmed to direct an adaptation of Jo Nesbo‘s best-selling crime thriller The Snowman.  Last month we reported that Scorsese was seriously considering Snowman as his next film, and would once again push aside his Jesuit priest-drama Silence as well as The Irishman, The Wolf of Wall Street, a remake of The Gambler, and a Frank Sinatra biopic.  Nesbo reportedly had to confirm Scorsese for the gig (I’m not sure why this would involve thinking twice), but didn’t insist that the movie retain the book’s setting of Oslo, Norway.

Snowman is in the seventh book in the “Harry Hole” detective series.  Per THR, Hole is “an anti-authoritarian, anti-sobriety cop, who investigates particularly gruesome killings. In The Snowman, a son finds his mother’s pink scarf wrapped around the neck of an ominous looking snowman. Hole realizes she is the latest victim of a serial killer.”  Also ominous: a magical top hat found near the scene.* Hit the jump for a full synopsis.  Scorsese’s new film, Hugo, opens in 3D on Wednesday.

I was among the cinephiles who were unmoved by the first trailer for Hugo.  I never should have doubted Martin Scorsese: an early screening at the New York Film Festival drew breathless praise from the lucky few who saw it.  Four decades later, Scorsese is still a master filmmaker.  As is customary for a master filmmaker, Scorsese has a lot on his plate: Silence, The Irishman, The Wolf of Wall Street, a remake of The Gambler, and a Frank Sinatra biopic among other things.  A report from Variety suggests a new project, The Snowman, could leapfrog the others for the next slot in Scorsese’s schedule.  The director has reportedly been circling the adaptation of the bestselling Norwegian mystery novel for the last month or so; Paramount has not yet made a formal offer, but Scorsese “is now seriously considering making it his next project.”

The Maguffin in The Snowman is the pink scarf of a missing woman, found wrapped around an “ominous-looking snowman” in what appears to be the work of a serial killer.  More on the project and a full synopsis after the jump.

Summit is looking to get into the crime thriller game. Deadline reports that the studio has acquired the English-language movie rights to Jo Nesbø’s Norwegian thriller Headhunters. The book was recently published in the United States and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. The story centers on a corporate head hunter who finances his extravagant lifestyle by stealing artwork from his rich clients. He gets wrapped up into a murderous scheme after breaking into his most recent client’s apartment.

A Scandinavian adaptation of the novel has already been produced, and screened to positive reception at Fantastic Fest. Marianne Gray, Ole Sondberg, and Berna Levin are set to produce the English-language pic. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the novel.

Jo Nesbo’s hit series of detective novels following the exploits of the fictional Harry Hole will be making its way to the big screen. The latest book in the series, titled The Snowman, will be adapted into a film according to a new report by Deadline, as Working Title Films has bought the screen rights. The series has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and the seventh book in the series sits atop the UK bestseller lists. The author talked about how he has turned down a number of offers in the past but feels this is the right time and team to handle his material. So hit the jump to find out what the novel is all about and why I think Nesbo was smart to pick Working Title Films.