First announced early last year, Dustin Hoffman‘s directorial debut — an adaptation of Ronald Harwood‘s stage comedy “Quartet” — is now set to begin production this fall after the actor-turned-director wraps up on the David Milch-backed HBO horse-racing drama “Luck.”
The project is shaping to be a real actor’s film boasting a powerful leading trio with English thespians Maggie Smith, Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay for the story of “four retired opera singers living in a retirement home, who decide to sing once more at a gala concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday.” And it looks like some more accomplished talent may be joining the ranks: the original play’s scribe Harwood, who won an Oscar for his work on Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist,” is adapting for the screen.
“An Education” producer Finola Dwyer revealed the news noting that Hoffman is currently “shooting on an HBO series, ‘Luck,’ the Michael Mann series at the moment. As soon as he’s done with that he’ll come to London and we’ll shoot it in the Autumn… It’s such an actors’ piece. [Hoffman] is brilliant on script — a great script by Ronnie Harwood. He’s very precise — all those years of experience and his brilliance and genius. He’s a delight.”
A character to say the least, it will certainly be interesting to see how the iconic actor Hoffman will fare as a director. A production team familiar with Dwyer and Hoffman is currently being assembled with the film already earning backing from BBC Films. More news on the project is surely around the corner with the producer noting that casting is currently taking place. [DigitalSpy]