In his brief screenwriting career, which already includes an Oscar, William Monahan has been good at introducing us to modern-day kinds of thrills, from the Middle Eastern espionage in Body of Lies and The Kingdom to the Boston double-crosses of The Departed. But for his next project-- actually, make that one of his dozen or so upcoming projects-- Monahan will be heading way back to the high seas.

Monahan and Departed producer Graham King will team up for The Essex/I>, a drama about real-life sea captain David Porter who kicked British ass during the War of 1812. USA! USA! Variety says King and Monahan will produce the film, and Monahan has written the script and may or may not direct it.

We don't get a whole lot of movies set during this time period, but Master and Commander was fun in a stuffy historical way, and Monahan has proven he knows how to put a screenplay together. Plus, when was the last time you saw a movie that let you root against the British and wasn't about the American Revolution?

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