Director David Cronenberg is in negotiations to helm MGM's The Matarese Circle, according to Variety. Denzel Washington is also attached to star in the project, which is based on a Robert Ludlum novel set against the Cold War. Cronenberg has received some of the best reviews of his career recently for A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Meanwhile, Washington has two films coming out in 2009, The Taking of Pelham 123 and The Book of Eli.