James Ellroy to Write '77

By Jack March 14, 2001 10:59 AM

James Ellroy, author of L.A Confidential, is to write an original screenplay called 77.

Another crime maven, "Law & Order" (and many other TV series) creator Dick Wolf, is on board as a producer of the Paramount Pictures project.

The screenplay for 77 will link two real-life events from the early '70s. The murder, still unsolved, of an LAPD officer will be examined alongside the infamous televised shoot-out where the police and the Symbionese Liberation Army (the terrorists who kidnapped Patty Hearst) exchanged more than 50,000 rounds of gunfire.

"Dick Wolf is the king of television crime, and I have no doubt that he will soon become the king of feature film crime," said Ellroy. "'77' will be my first epic-length film script -- and I'm thrilled that the Wolfman is at the helm."

No word as to when the project might begin filming, but in the meantime Ellroy's latest novel, The Cold Six Thousand is out later this year.