Christophe Gans Signs On for 'Swedish Cavalier,' Probably Ditching 'Onimusha'

It's easy to make a movie look good, if the budget is right, but it's hard to make one look straight-up beautiful. French director Christophe Gans is part of the small group of filmmakers who seems to be able to do the latter on a regular basis. His Silent Hill made absolutely no sense, but was it ever gorgeous; I could have watched it without sound. I'd gladly sit through countless video game adaptations if they all looked like that. As we reported a year ago, Gans was going to oblige with an elaborate $70 million version of the martial arts fantasy Onimusha, but that may not happen after all, at least not soon: according to Variety, Gans may be putting the logistically-troubled project on the back burner in favor of The Swedish Cavalier, an adaptation of a 1936 novel by Czech writer Leo Perutz.

The book is about a penniless thief who steals the identity of a noble-born army deserter, taking over his estate, marrying his unassuming fiancee (who hasn't seen "him" since childhood), and forcing the nobleman to become a foundry worker. The action takes place in the 18th century, taking Gans back to his Brotherhood of the Wolf period piece roots. Except, I guess, with fewer homicidal were-beasts.