William Monahan has written the screenplay for seemingly every crime drama that's come out in the last five years. OK, it was just two Ridley Scott movies and The Departed, but still, he's a popular guy, and it makes sense that he would try his hand at making his own movies before too long.

Now's that time, apparently. Variety's reporting that Monahan will direct Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell in London Boulevard, a crime drama set in that English capital. Knightley, playing very much against type, plays a young actress who tries to keep her personal live private, and wins up having a reformed criminal (Farrell) as her handyman.

Monahan adapted the screenplay from a Ken Bruen novel, which means he's at least sticking to the part he knows best for his directorial debut. The plot is intriguing, the Knightley-Farrell pairing is potentially great. Monahan, you might be able to pull this off without Scorsese by your side after all!