Yeah, that headline is a bit snarky for a reason. When “The Machinist” arrived in 2004, it became an almost instant cult favorite and put director Brad Anderson on the map. But since then, he’s yet to have a project match that level of acclaim (there’s a reason all his new projects are always listed as “from the director of ‘The Machinist’ “). Let’s face it, that Christian Bale flick hasn’t aged very well (though the actor’s transformation is still impressive) and Anderson hasn’t really had the best trajectory either, going from the somewhat starry “Transsiberian,” to the forgotten “The Vanishing On 7th Street” to what must be a nadir with this spring’s “The Call.” Sure, he’s helmed some TV in between – “Fringe,” “Boardwalk Empire” – but we’re nearly a decade on from “The Machinist” folks….
Anyway, Anderson is currently working on the horror “Eliza Graves” which has an improbably decent cast with Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine (but we’ll see how that turns out), and after that it looks like he’ll pivot towards “Restart.” Based on the book “No Way Back” by Matthew Klein, the Gregory Poirier (“National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” “Rosewood“) scripted film is said to be in the ballpark of “The Game” and “Unknown,” centering on an ordinary man who discovers that his entire life is being infiltrated and manipulated by a terrifying criminal network, . RUH-ROH.
It’s a premise that’s potentially interesting but also potentially derivative, so we’ll just wait and see. Put it on the backburner for now and keep your eyes peeled for “Eliza Graves” in 2014.