Joe Cornish—Edgar Wright‘s frequent screenwriting partner—made a splash a few years ago with his feature-length directorial debut “Attack The Block” and since then he’s been rumored to take on films like the next “Star Trek” installment, but it seems the British director has thought it best to stick with original films. THR reports Cornish will direct the period spy drama “Section 6,” which focuses on “the formation of Great Britain’s secret intelligence agency, Military Intelligence, Section 6, also known as MI6.” According to the trade, Cornish beat out higher-profile directors like Tom Hooper and David MacKenzie, stiff competition to be sure. As you might recall, “Skins” and “300: Rise of an Empire” actor Jack O’Connell has been tapped to star in the film. No word on when shooting is set to begin.
Not content with merely being an actor-producer-writer, Channing Tatum is thinking about adding another hyphenate. Per Deadline, the “Magic Mike” star is circling an adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s crime-thriller “The Son” as a co-directorial debut alongside frequent producing partner Reid Carolin. The book follows a young man imprisoned for crimes he did not commit after his “father, who is said to be a corrupt cop, commits suicide. When the son learns that his father was actually an honest man who was murdered, he escapes to avenge the killing. Along the way, he also begins to rectify the crimes to which he confessed.” If talks are successful, the plan is for Tatum and Carolin to co-direct the film with Tatum also starring.
In other actors-turned-directors news, “Game Of Thrones” actor Jason Momoa will also be making his directorial debut (via Deadline) with the WWE Studios film, “Road To Paloma.” Already completed and set for release this summer, Momoa also stars in the film as “a Native American on the run after avenging his mother’s murder. As he flees across the desolate American West on his motorcycle, he’ll discover that justice has a cost.” Momoa also co-wrote the film which has a limited theatrical run in Los Angeles on July 11th before hitting VOD and DVD on July 15th.
Despite already being attached to his first Hollywood production in the adaptation of “The Parsifal Mosaic,” THR reports Zhang Yimou is in talks to take on another project: “Great Wall.” Originally set to star Henry Cavill and Benjamin Walker with Ed Zwick at the helm, this new iteration will have page one rewrite with only the film’s basic concept left intact: “the mystery and secret origin of why the Great Wall was built.” Presumably “Parsifal Mosaic” will go first if Yimou does officially join this project.
