Gacy next for 'Monster' maker

Steven Zeitchik Feb 5, 2009, ET

Clark Peterson is tracking down another serial killer. Peterson ("Monster") will produce "Dear Mr. Gacy," based on the real-life story of Jason Moss, a college student who became obsessed with notorious serial killer .

William Forsythe ("The Rock," "88 Minutes") will play Gacy, while Jesse Moss, who stars in Paramount's current release "The Uninvited," will play Jason Moss.

European director Svetozar Ristovski ("Mirage") will make his English-language debut with the feature, directing from a script by Kellie Madison. Gordon Yang also is producing, and Tom Berry and Madison are exec producing.

The project is based on the memoir "The Last Victim" by Jason Moss, who began corresponding with Gacy in 1994, the last year of the killer's life. Moss eventually met Gacy on Death Row and narrowly escaped an attack by him.

The twentysomething went on to gain a measure of celebrity from his interactions with Gacy, but his story ended tragically when he committed suicide in 2006. His book has been described by critics as a real-life "Silence of the Lambs."

"The theme here is once you encounter that kind of darkness, it's hard to escape it," Peterson said. "Jason seemed to be a success because he had this encounter with John Wayne Gacy, wrote a book and went on television. But ultimately it came to a tragic end."

The project is slated to begin shooting in this month. Berry's Reel One is financing.

In addition to "Gacy," the CAA-repped Peterson is producing "White Jazz," based on James Ellroy's sequel to "L.A. Confidential," with Joe Carnahan attached to direct, and is producing the David Goyer-penned reimagining of David Cronenberg's "Scanners," which is set up at Dimension. William Forsythe is repped by Innovative Artists.

The producer made his name with "Monster," which tells the story of Aileen Wuornos, a Florida prostitute turned serial killer. The movie was a $34 million hit for Newmarket in 2003 and earned Charlize Theron a best actress Oscar.