Raimi to helm Lehane's 'Given Day'

Columbia Pictures has hired Sam Raimi to turn Dennis Lehane's upcoming novel The Given Day into a feature film, reports Variety.

Lehane's book takes place in 1919 Boston as soldiers return home from World War I, bringing with them an epidemic of Spanish influenza. The story revolves around two cops who become involved in a strike regarding police unionisation.

Directors Clint Eastwood (Mystic River) and Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) have previously mined Lehane's work for film. Martin Scorsese's next movie Shutter Island, scheduled for release next year, is also based on a Lehane novel.

Along with a reboot of Paramount's Jack Ryan series, Raimi is also considering directing a fourth Spider-Man film for Columbia.