After a six year break from directing between “Hostel: Part II” and the upcoming “The Green Inferno,” it looks like Eli Roth won’t let a gap like that happen again: he’s lining up a new horror film to tackle.
Roth has signed on to direct “Knock Knock,” a film he co-wrote with “Aftershock” dudes Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo. The plot? Well, it will tell the tale of “two young girls who show up unexpectedly at the home of a married man where they seduce him and wreak havoc on his perfect life.” Sounds like a porno with an unhappy ending. Perhaps fittingly, this will be quick and dirty with the $10 million movie shooting in April. [The Wrap]
Robert Schwentke, aka The Guy Who Made “R.I.P.D.,“ is bouncing back. First he bagged the gig helming the “Divergent” sequel “Insurgent,” and now he’s going to make a war flick to. In German. Schwentke will helm “Hauptmann,” which will be “based on the true story of Willi Herold, a private in the German army who, in the final days of WWII, steals a uniform off a dead Luftwaffe Hauptmann, or captain. With the new borrowed authority, he collects a group of dispersed soldiers about him and makes his way through war-ravaged Europe.” Development is underway, though it’s probably a safe bet it will be rolling until Schwentke is done helping Tris save the world or something. [THR]
“Downton Abbey” director Philip John is lining up his feature debut, “Moon Dogs.” The comedy will star Michael Socha, Alexandra Roach, Kate Bracken and Jack Lowden and follow “the adventures of two warring brothers from Shetland who set out on a road trip to Glasgow in order to bring back one of the boy’s girlfriend for Up Helly Aa, Europe’s largest fire festival. On the journey both boys fall in love with a free-spirited girl who dreams of becoming a singer.” Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre will score the movie with production getting underway this summer. [ScreenDaily]
Lastly, Tim Story—who has the big hit “Ride Along” in cinemas with a sequel on the way—is hoping “Diplomats” will continue his hot streak. The movie will be inspired by Dennis Rodman’s recent jaunts to North Korea, though no word yet on the exact plot of the comedy. But we’ll see what Jonathan Abrams comes up with in his script, with the project developing over at Fox. [THR]