So it’s been a couple weeks now, so you know what that means — another David O. Russell project attachment post!
This time, Vulture reports that the Oscar-nominated director is eyeing a biopic about former Provindence, Rhode Island mayor Buddy Cianci. So what could possibly happen in Providence worthy of a movie? Apparently, a lot. In his new memoir, “Politics and Pasta,” Cianci details fighting mobsters, getting charged with racketeering and bringing life back to the sagging city.
Producer Jane Rosenthal, who is also co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, said, “Going back almost twelve years now, I’ve wanted to see Buddy’s story as a movie.” She plans to only adapt “some of the book” into a film, and revealed she had been talking with Russell about the gig. “There’s nothing signed yet, but [Russell’s] amazing, and we’ve been talking. Just talking. But he’s interested enough to keep talking. He’s interested enough that when he was at the Golden Globes, I was running in, and he was walking the red carpet, and he was like, ‘Jane! I’ve got to talk to you about that Buddy movie.'”
While the life rights still need to be obtained from Cianci, Rosenthal is excited. “What’s so fascinating about Buddy is if you look at those years in Providence when he propelled a renaissance, if you forget about the process for a minute, it’s a certain type of politics. His heart’s in the right place,” she said.
Anyway, maybe it’ll happen, but given the plethora of choices on his plate, the odds are that it won’t. Just this year alone, Russell has been linked to a sequel to “The Fighter,” Russ Meyer biopic, the biblical tale “Joe,” the drug drama “Cocaine Cowboys” and the buddy pic “2 Guns.” That’s not to mention his long-gestating video game movie “Uncharted” and the TV project he’s working on with Connie Britton.
Please pick something already.