09.05.08: De Niro Quits 'Edge Of Darkness', Is 'Torso' Fincher's Next?, Washington Signs For 'Book Of Eli'

Robert De Niro has jumped ship on Edge Of Darkness, a big-screen remake of the British mini-series that's also Mel Gibson's acting comeback. According to Variety, De Niro abruptly walked off the project only days after arriving on set this week. His rep has chalked it up to you-know-what – "creative differences". De Niro had been cast as an operative sent to clean up the evidence at the scene following the murder of a young woman; Gibson is starring as the woman's father, a homicide detective in the Boston Police Department who uncovers his daughter's mysterious life. Director Martin Campbell is shooting around De Niro's scenes until a replacement can be cast.

Fincher Making Torso Next?
David Fincher's next project may be the ages-in-development graphic-novel adaptation Torso. According to The Plain Dealer, Paramount want to move Torso into production soon with Matt Damon as Elliot Ness, shooting in the Ohio city. Adapted from Michael Bendis' graphic novel (Ehren Kruger has penned the screenplay), Torso follows Ness' attempts to find a serial killer dubbed the Cleveland Torso Murderer, a case he never solved and which prematurely ended his career. The hold-up is incentives, with producer Bill Mechanic informing the Plain Dealer that without them, they won't be able to lift the big-budget project off the ground.

Casting Call: Washington, the Ghostbusters
* Denzel Washington will star in the post-apocalyptic drama Book Of Eli, about a lone hero who battles his way across America to bring society the knowledge that might offer them redemption. Allan and Albert Hughes will direct…

* Columbia Pictures has tapped The Office co-executive producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write the script on their planned revival of the Ghostbusters franchise, in which Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are all due to return…