“Shantaram,” a project that was long considered to have been “dead” was revived early last month when it was announced that Joel Edgerton would be starring with Johnny Depp—who was previously pegged to star in the movie—climbing back on board as a producer. If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, the Warner Bros. project has now found its director.
Relative newcomer Garth Davis will take the helm, with Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) penning the adaptation of the best-selling book by Gregory David Roberts. The upcoming film tells the true story of an Australian drug addict bank robber who, after escaping a maximum security prison, takes on multiple identities to evade cops in several countries. Ultimately, he reinvents himself as a doctor in the slums of Mumbai, India, and uses “gun-running and counterfeiting skills to fight against the invading Russian troops in Afghanistan.”
Garth Davis, who co-directed five episodes of this year’s critically acclaimed series “Top of the Lake” with Jane Campion, will tackle the sprawling film. And while Davis does not have many credits to his name at this point in his career, co-helming the 8-time Emmy-nominated mini-series with a veteran director like Campion at his side definitely helps. “Shantaram” had been stuck in limbo for almost ten years after Warner Bros. first bought the screen rights in 2004. Now with an up-and-coming Aussie director on board to complement the up-and-coming Aussie actor, hopefully the project can officially get off the ground within the next year. Fingers crossed. [Deadline]