We recently put John Cusack on our list of actors who should fire their agent, but in his case, his career stall has been hampered simply by an inability to pick good projects. Maybe he got our memo or had a wake up call, because the actor is headed into two films that are certainly the most promising projects he's had in a while.
Firstly, Cusack will hope to find another box office hit with another Stephen King horror movie, as ScreenDaily reports the "1408" star is set to lead "Cell." As fans of King know, many moons ago, Eli Roth was going to direct the film, but following the hostile reception to "Hostel 2," he bailed on it. But now it has new life with King himself co-writing the screenplay with Adam Alleca ("Last House On The Left"), in a story where cellphone signals wipe the brains of humans, turning people into aggressive killers. 4G is a bitch. And like a billion other similar stories, a father hits the road to find his wife and son. This one is still brewing and needs a director, but hopefully they'll ring up someone soon enough (ha ha).
So while Cusack waits for that to happen, he'll star in the financial world drama "Due Process." Penned by Anthony Derrico, and set to be directed by Paul Currie ("One Perfect Day"), Cusack will play a farmer in the thriller, who has to square off against two big city bankers who come to foreclose. TOPICAL! Shooting begins in January.
Will these projects set Cusack back on the right path or is it more middling fare from the actor? Time will tell, but we're willing to be a bit optimistic even if the premise of "Cell" is kind of ludicrous.