The usual conversation about Neil LaBute, at least around here, is how the man who broke out with provocative fare like “In The Company Of Men” and “Your Friends & Neighbors” has turned into the unrecognizable guy behind stuff like “Lakeview Terrance,” “The Wicker Man” and “Death At A Funeral.” But it looks like the man who examined and completely turned upside down the relationships between men and women, is returning to that fertile ground with two new projects.
First up, LaBute will be heading TV with his low key, minimal “Full Circle” for DirecTV. 10 half hour episodes of the show have been ordered, with an intriguing format, that will center on two characters meeting in a restaurant, with one carry over to the next episode each time out. So, “My Dinner With Andre: The Show“? Either way, it seems like a real return-to-roots kind of assignment for the writer/director/playwright, and with a budget said to be $1 million for the entire series, it’s going to be lean and mean. Production begins this summer and the show will air in the fall.
Meanwhile, LaBute’s next directorial effort, “Some Velvet Morning,” is gearing up for its Tribeca Film Festival premiere, and it’s one of our 20 Most Anticipated Films of the fest. Starring Alice Eve and Stanley Tucci, the story centers on a young and beautiful New Yorker who is surprised when an old lover (Tucci) — that she has not seen or heard from in four years — appears at her door announcing he’s finally left his wife for her. Again, pretty compelling material that will hopefully find LaBute back on form. Check out the rather eyebrow-raising poster below. [Variety/Deadline/Vulture]