Well, Warner Bros seems eager to get this movie made. Initially Greg Berlanti was tapped to helm the pic before "This Is Where I Leave You" was offered up to David Yates last summer, as part of a handful of projects the studio was discussing with the director. But he's directing "Your Voice In My Head" next, with a potential gangster trilogy with Tom Hardy waiting in the wings. So, WB has moved on, and are eyeing a vastly different helmer for the gig.
Adam Shankman — who is behind the camera for the upcoming '80s musical "Rock Of Ages" — is now in early talks to take on the movie. Based on the acclaimed novel by Jonathan Tropper, the story centers on a patriarch who dies, having requested that his non-reglious, dysfunctional family sit Shivah for seven days. It's a dramedy of sorts, and would be a change in gear for the director who helmed "Hairspray" and "Bedtime Stories." While we're not exactly fans of his oeuvre, we could seem him doing a goob job here, and he has directed dramatic fare before ("A Walk To Remember," "Monk").
And if he does take it on, there are still a number of movies he has percolating, including a "Grumpy Old Men"/"Trading Places"-style picture with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, as well as his revisionist "The Nutcracker." He's also taking the helm of a comedy pilot over at NBC. So we'll see how it all shakes out, but for now, Shankman is likely focused on getting "Rock Of Ages" across the finish line.