Jason Reitman is in desperate need of a career bump. His last two films, Labor Day and Men, Women, and Children, felt like they were made my someone who did not know why he was making them. This is shame coming from the guy who made Up in the Air, which I rewatched recently and is still vibrant and specific. Thankfully, Reitman will be stepping back into dramedy territory with I Would Only Rob Banks for My Family, based on a rather unusual Texas Monthly article.
The story follows a Texas family who pull off two rather impressive bank heists. Nick Hornby (An Education, Wild) will come on to pen the screenplay. Jason’s poppa Ivan Reitman will produce the film. The two have not worked together since Up in the Air, so hopefully, they can create that same magic once again with this film. Reitman is in need of some quality. [THR]
If someone needs a comeback as a director, it would be Mel Gibson. You may think he is a horrible person, but the man can make a damn good movie. He has not directed a film since 2006’s Apocalypto, which was a very exciting action movie more people should see, and he needs to be given the reigns to another film. Well, Gibson may have found the project to bring him back into the director’s chair, as he is in early talks to make Hacksaw Ridge.
The film centers on Desmond Doss, who was the first person awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor as a conscientious objector. Doss was a U.S. Army medic stationed in Okinawa and saved many lives. That sounds like a figure Gibson could do a lot with. Andrew Garfield is in talks to play Doss, making this project sound even more interesting. Talks are moving slowly on this one. I guess that is understandable given Gibson’s public image and hesitation to give him work. Hopefully, people give Gibson another shot. The man has talent. [Deadline]
Wow, this article is filled with people who are in need of a comeback. Another one of those people is Brad Anderson. The man who made really good films like The Machinist and Transsiberian is now saddled with material like this year’s truly dreadful Stonehearst Asylum (read my review Deadline]
And the final director attachment I will talk about is Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) taking the helm of Boston Strong. This is the film about the manhunt to find the people responsible for the tragic Boston Marathon bombings and how the city responded to the attacks. Casey Affleck was originally intended to star and produce the film, but that deal could not close. Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, who wrote another true-life Boston story with The Fighter, wrote the screenplay. Safe House is the only film of Espinosa’s I have seen and was not terribly impressed by it. Boston Strong is an inherently engaging story, so hopefully, Espinosa does not do anything too crazy with it. [Variety]
