No, This Has Nothing To Do With Terrence Malick
This has been a long time coming for David Gordon Green fans who haven't been down with the director's recent output. Of course, Green first made waves with his intimate "George Washington," and before you could say the words The Criterion Collection, he was onto "All The Real Girls" before Terrence Malick himself lent his name as a producer on "Undertow." From there he did "Snow Angels," but the next thing you now, Green fell in with the Apatow gang and didn't seem to look back. The stoner comedy "Pineapple Express" is a classic in the genre (ok, in this writer's opinion) while this spring's "Your Highness" took the same vibe and put it in the context of a medieval fantasy adventure. Next month, Green continues to work his populist juices with the R-rated "The Sitter" but just when you've given up on the helmer returning to his roots, he's got a surprise up his sleeve.
Columbia Pictures is putting the final touches on a deal to nab the rights to Evan Mandery's novel "Q" for Green to write and direct. And while it does share the name of the former Malick project that eventually morphed into "The Tree Of Life," it has nothing to do with it. Instead, the story focuses on a man who is visited by a future version of himself who warns him on his wedding day not to get married to his wife. He listens to himself but spends the rest of his life regretting the decision and tries to fill the void that remains, as future selves continue to advise him. Blending sci-fi, romance, humor and drama this potentially will dip back into a realm Green has been away from for a while.
Of course, when this goes remains to be seen. It's still very early days and for most of the spring, Green has been talking about getting to his long-gestating "Suspiria" remake next year and we would guess that may still be the plan. Or at least the hope. As for the small handful of other projects he's been attached to in the last little while — the Dustin Lance Black penned "Barefoot Bandit" among them — word has been quiet and we'd wager they are still on the far backburner for now. But in Hollywood, anything can change.
But regardless, this is certainly a bright piece of news, one that will see the cinephile Green exercise some very different muscles, so we're intrigued. But for now, our next dose of Green arrives on December 9th with "The Sitter." [Variety]
