Johnny Depp has been all over convincing director Rob Marshall to help him remake The Thin Man, but up until this point, it’s been unclear whether this was a ludicrous pipe dream or a conceivable goal. The Dashiell Hammett novel was originally adapted in 1934 with Myrna Loy and William Powell starring as the iconic Nick and Nora Charles. Five sequels were subsequently made throughout the 30s and 40s, though it’s unclear whether Depp’s purported version would have him playing the Nick Charles of the films’ or Dashiell Hammett’s slovenly original. We still don’t know, but a screenwriter has finally been hired to answer such questions.

According to THR, Permanent Midnight scribe Jerry Stahl will pen the adaptation which will likely be produced by Warner Brothers under Johnny Depp’s production banner. The studio was reportedly looking for a screenwriter that would keep to the period but remain relevant enough for a modern audience. Few authors fit that bill as well as Jerry Stahl. He's the man behind some of the more controversial episodes of CSI, as well as the wonderful period piece novel I, Fatty and the current production Hemingway & Gellhorn filming for HBO.

The Thin Man follows detective Nick Charles as he’s pulled back into the sleuthing game for one last case. He’s a notorious drunk but still a sharp mind. It’s been a good week for classic mystery adaptations. Just yesterday, we found out the Agatha Christie novel Crooked Window was headed to the big screen. Let’s hope we’re beginning to see a trend.