Greg Mottola has been tapped to scribe Paramount’s adaptation of Leanne Shapton’s newly-published, “Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry,” which currently has Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman attached to star and produce.
The book is a fictional estate auction catalog consisting of personal items and photographs from a four-year romance between Morris, a 40-something male photographer, and Doolan, a 20-something food columnist, with Mottola set to spin the tale into a romantic comedy.
Items featured in the catalog include, “books, pajamas, bedside lamps, a stuffed squirrel, an astrakhan coat, the winning half of a wishbone and lots of notes, inscriptions and e-mail messages that start out giddy and become slowly more complicated, angry and sorrowful.” It’s not yet known how Mottola will tackle the adaptation namely whether the book’s unique concept will be featured at all.
Perhaps most interesting though will be if the project is set up as a directorial vehicle for Mottola. After the successes of “Superbad” and — to a lesser extent — “Adventureland,” the helmer looks ripe to step up to a major star-driven project such as this with the offbeat romance tale certainly a match for his sensibilities. He’s currently finishing off post-production on “Paul” starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost which will hit next year.
Despite having grown his beard for quite some time, Pitt’s collaboration with James Gray on “The Lost City Of Z” still seems a way away but the actor does have Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball” shooting this summer and Terrence Malick’s “The Tree Of Life” coming out in the fall. Portman, meanwhile, has the likes “Thor,” the rom-com “Friends With Benefits,” stoner-comedy “Best Buds” and “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies” with David O. Russell in the works as well with “Black Swan,” “Hesher,” and “Your Highness” completed and awaiting release.