Depp, Cooper ready for spy games

When I first saw this headline this morning, it just made me say "sheesh, not another spy flick." This one, however, has the makings to be pretty great.

Ever since I started reading about Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB agent who was mysteriously and fatally poisoned in London, I've been hooked. I'm fairly certain that I've read every story the New York Times has printed about it. It's good old-fashioned (and, of course, deadly) spy games, the kind you couldn't make up if you tried.

Now comes word that Warner Bros. has scooped up film rights to a book on the subject for Johnny Depp's shingle Infinitum Nihil to develop, and potentially star in. The as-yet-unpublished tome, "Sasha's Story: The Life and Death of A Russian Spy," will be penned by New York Times London bureau chief Alan Cowell, who has been covering the story.

Cowell will continue to cover the story as speculation still runs rampant that the responsibility may go as high as Vladimir Putin, before then taking a break to write the book. So it may be a long while before we get to see any of this, but I can only enthusiasticly say bring it on.

Even better, coming Feb. 16 will be "Breach," the story of FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who was a long-time double agent working for the KGB. Even better than that, Hanssen will be played by the great Chris Cooper (huzzah!), and the movie also stars Laura Linney (huzzah, again!) and Ryan Philippe.

I've seen the trailer at least three times now, and it just looks like a great psychological thriller, with Philippe's young agent assigned to track Hanssen and get proof that he's a double-crosser. In case you need anymore incentive to get excited about this, it's directed by Billy Ray, who delivered a solid debut with "Shattered Glass," his very underrated flick about New Republic plagiarist Stephen Glass (if you haven't seen it, it's well, well worth a rental.)

So, if spy movies aren't going away anytime soon, and with yet another Bourne flick well under way, they're definitely not, at least we get intriguing entries in the genre. And besides, these are all potentially great flicks for adults, which is certainly reason to celebrate.

I'm taking the weekend off to hang out with the fam in Atlanta, but I'll surely be seeing some movies there. Check back Monday for some reviews, hopefully, and have a great holiday weekend.