It was probably a safe bet that Ruben Fleischer would want to move on from “Gangster Squad” as quickly as possible. The numerous delays, the re-shoots and the middling box office returns must have put a damper on what initially seemed like a star-studded potential hit. It seems the young director is looking to broaden his genre base by signing on to direct and produce an as yet untitled sci-fi/fantasy film on behalf of Sony Pictures.
There are no plot details currently available for the project, which was written by up-and-coming screenwriter Eric Pearson. Pearson has previously written two scripts that made it onto the Black List, but none of these has made it to production until now. Fleischer appears to be making definite moves to branch out from his earlier, lighter fare (“Zombieland”, “30 Minutes or Less,”) and given that his first venture into “serious filmmaking” did not pan out too well he’ll be hoping this next project will fare a little better. If it does, then perhaps it can go some way towards bringing back the buzz he initially garnered with “Zombieland.”
We’ll see where this one goes and how it fits into Fleischer’s slate, which also includes the videogame adaptation “Spy Hunter.” And in case, you missed it in theaters, “Gangster Squad” is currently out on DVD and Blu-Ray. [The Wrap]