For a brief moment, Doug Liman was flirting with more serious fare, developing projects like “Attica,” an adaptation of Olen Steinhauer‘s “The Tourist,” the documentary “Reckoning With Torture: Memos And Testimonies From The War On Terror” and a big-screen version of Jack Finney‘s “Time And Again.” But we’d wager in today’s climate that kind of stuff is hard to get off the ground, so no surprise that in the past he was also linked to the comedy “El Presidente” with Tom Cruise and the former Tony Scott project, “Narco Sub.” And for his next gig, he’s stepping right up to the blockbuster world again for a big-time video game adaptation.
Liman is in final talks to direct “Splinter Cell,” with Tom Hardy still attached to star. As you might recall, Liman and Hardy had already been cooking up one project together, “Everest,” but considering Baltasar Kormákur is already rolling on his mountain movie with Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke and John Hawkes, perhaps they figured it was best to move on to something else. Anyway, Eric Singer (“American Hustle, “”The International“) has penned the script about the adventures of terrorist-fighting spy Sam Fisher, and this one is moving very fast.
Production is slated to begin in August, with plans to release the movie in the already crowded 2015 calendar. We have to say, we sorta didn’t care about this movie at all but the combo of Liman and Hardy make things a lot more interesting. [THR]
In other news: Focus Features has snapped up the Black List script “Times Square” for Justin Lin to add to his Ridley Scott-esque pile of things he’s attached to direct. Taylor Materne and Jacob Rubin penned the script for this intriguing sounding period crime thriller “set in the last days of the old Times Square when it was transitioning from a seedy lawless midtown Manhattan dump to a family friendly corporate mecca. In that backdrop, when a secret from his past is unearthed, a young man’s loyalties are divided between his neighborhood boss who raised him and the grizzled ex-cop who swore to protect him.” Frankly, it sounds like the kind of thing Sidney Lumet would’ve done back in the day, or James Gray would do now. Color us curious. [Deadline]
Lastly, Haifaa Al Mansour, the breakout filmmaker behind last year’s utterly charming Saudi Arabian film “Wadjda,” is lining up her next project, “A Storm In the Stars.” Penned by Emma Jensen, the unique premise follows “the tumultuous love affair between dangerously charismatic poet Percy Shelley and the brilliant and beautiful 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft.” Wow. Production is aiming to begin late this year, or early next. [Deadline]