Late last summer, director Robert Schwentke found himself in a very enviable position in Hollywood. Word on his elderly action pic “Red” was very strong and he had a few potential projects on his plate including the U-boat drama “Shadow Divers,” the Robert Ludlum adaptation “The Osterman Weekend” and of course, “R.I.P.D.” which now has Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon set to star and should be shooting later this year. But things are moving fast and if all goes according to plan, Schwentke will have another project to shoot next year and one that will be quite different from his last couple of efforts.
Variety reports that German production company Constantin Film has tapped Schwentke to direct the English-language film “The Poison Kitchen,” which certainly sounds promising. Set in the early days of the Nazi party’s rise to power, the film will chronicle the efforts of the Muenchener Post, the newspaper that was an early critic of Adolf Hitler and his party. Nicknamed the “Munich Pest” by Hitler himself, after the dictator rose to power, he destroyed the offices, arrested the staff and shut down the paper completely. We can’t really remember the last time we got a hybrid newspaper/war film and this sounds like a great story, but there is one little problem.
The script for “The Poison Kitchen” is being penned by Matthew Sand of “Ninja Assassin” fame so we’re a little concerned that things like subtlety and nuance might be in short supply, and moreover, Martin Moszkowicz, head of Constantin’s film division says he’s looking for more of a thriller than a political drama, so yeah, we’re wary.
If everything works out, “The Poison Kitchen” will go in front of cameras in 2012, but not before Schwentke finishes up “R.I.P.D.” which is due in theaters on June 28, 2013.
