From serious historical dramas to light Vince Vaughn comedies, we have an abundance of director news to share with you for your reading pleasure…
The subject of World War II is one that director Volker Schlöndorff has revisited quite often throughout his work, and it looks like he’s going back to that well once again. He briefly mentioned the project when we spoke to him earlier this year at the Göteborg International Film Festival. The film, “Diplomacy,” tells the true story of a German officer who saved Paris from destruction, and it takes place on the day when Paris was liberated by the Allies. Dietrich von Choltitz, the German military governor of Paris, was ordered by Adolf Hitler to blow up the city but chose not to thanks to the influence of the Swedish ambassador. [Variety]
Speaking of WWII dramas, “In the Name of the Father” director Jim Sheridan is set to rewrite and direct “Playing With The Enemy,” based on the book by Gary W. Moore. The story centers on Gene Moore, who was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940 as a 15-year-old prodigy. He soon joins the Navy and is stationed at a POW camp in Louisiana where he teaches German prisoners there how to play baseball. The book is based on a true story about the author’s father. Casting is set to begin once Sheridan finishes rewriting the film. [Deadline]
Ken Loach might be pushing 80, but he’s as prolific as he’s ever been. He’s almost ready to begin production on his next film, “Jimmy’s Hall,” which is about the only Irishman to ever be deported by the Irish Government, Jimmy Gralton. Gralton, an Irish communist leader, ran a dance hall in Effrinagh, a town in Leitrim county, Ireland, a place where he arranged free events to illustrate his political views. He was later arrested after a violent protest, and this lead to the Irish Government issuing Gralton’s deportation in 1933. The film is set to take place ten years after Loach’s Palme D’or-winning film “The Wind That Shakes The Barley.” [IFTN]
Shifting gears a little, “Twilight Saga: Eclipse” director David Slade has been tapped to direct “The Widow,” a psychological thriller about “a young woman who befriends a young widow only to discover that their encounter was not a coincidence.” Production is set to begin later this year. [THR]
Lastly, Ken Scott (“Starbuck”) is re-teaming with Vince Vaughn after the two recently wrapped on the DreamWorks comedy “Delivery Man,” which opens later this year. Their next collaboration is “Business Trip,” which will be distributed by Fox this time around. The story, written by Steve Conrad (“The Pursuit of Happyness,” “The Promotion”) will center on a businessman whose European trip goes awry. [Deadline]