According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar-nominated director David Fincher and the Torso project he was set to make have apparently parted company.

This is a project Paramount was looking to make since January 2006. The studio recently let the rights to the property lapse.

Torso is a graphic novel that was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Andreyko. The novel tells the "true story of Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness' time after his Al Capone days."

Originally Todd McFarlane optioned the property with Bendis and Andreyko writing their own script. The film was to be made for Dimension Pictures. Then producer Don Murphy got involved and took the project to Bill Mechanic and his Pandemonium production company. Fincher got involved at this point and the property was set up at Paramount.

Last month, Paramount lost the ability to extend the rights to the option when it expired. They could have kept them but Paramount didn't want to spend the money. The studio still owns the screenplay that was written and they might put together something new with the writers of the graphic novel. (They currently have the rights back).

The thinking is that Paramount will still make the movie but most likely with a different director.

Torso was released December 1st, 2009.