Stephen Frears has had one of the most varied, interesting career of any working filmmaker. There have been misfires along the way (“Mary Reilly,” most notably, and this year’s “Cheri” wasn’t great), but from “My Beautiful Laundrette” and “Dangerous Liaisons” to “Dirty Pretty Things” and “The Queen,” he’s produced diverse, consistently strong work.
He’s currently filming the graphic novel adaptation “Tamara Drewe,” (calm down fanboys, it’s actually a retelling of Thomas Hardy’s “Far From The Madding Crowd”, without a cape in sight), but he’s already lined up his next project. He’ll reteam with “High Fidelity” co-writer D.V. De Vincentis on “Lay the Favorite,” an adaptation of Beth Raymer’s memoir “Lay the Favorite, Take the Dog.” The story will follow a woman in her thirties who becomes involved with a group of fiftysomething math geeks in Queens who have worked out a way to rig the sportsbooks in Vegas.
It sounds a bit close to the flashy, shallow Kevin Spacey vehicle “21,” but it sounds far more interesting — De Vincentis told the Hollywood Reporter the gamblers “have an intense pride in a very specific expertise — and a lack of socialization.” Indeed, it’s being described as a mix of “High Fidelity” and “The Grifters,” which makes us absurdly happy — “The Grifters” is one of this writer’s favorite movies, and probably Frears’ best. The picture’s set up at Focus Features, and will hopefully get rolling next year.