January 23, 2009 - Talk about your curious cases. David Fincher, hot off a slew of Oscar nominations for his latest film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, can't get his next film made at a major studio.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures have let the rights to the Brian Michael Bendis-Mark Andreyko graphic novel Torso lapse, effectively leaving Fincher's adaptation of it in limbo.

Torso follows former Untouchable Eliot Ness (Damon), who spearheaded the hunt for the serial killer dubbed the Cleveland Torso Murderer from 1935 to 1938. The killer was never captured and Ness' once promising career tragically ended in failure. Matt Damon had shown interest in playing Ness, while Casey Affleck had also circled the project. But it would seem their involvement is in doubt now.

As THR explains, "Last month, Paramount's ability to extend the rights option as part of the original deal expired, which would have then required the studio to purchase the rights outright to retain them -- a price the studio apparently was unwilling to shell out. While the studio still owns [Ehren] Kruger's screenplay, it is in discussions potentially to strike a new option agreement with the comic's writers, to whom the rights reverted. (Fincher and the producers remain attached.)"

Paramount is said to have not wanted to shell out the big bucks on Torso that Fincher is known to spend on his films' budgets.