Channing Tatum May Make Directorial Debut With ‘Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock’
Channing Tatumhas made no secret of the fact that he’d like to direct. Now it looks like he’s found his chance. He and creative partnerReid Carolinare attached to produce and co-directForgive Me, Leonard Peacock, based on a novel bySilver Linings PlaybookauthorMatthew Quick.
But for those who prefer Tatum in front of the camera, don’t worry — he’s hoping to star in the movie as well. Hit the jump for more details on the Channing Tatum directorial debut.
Published in 2013,Forgive Me, Leonard Peacockcenters on a troubled teen who brings a gun to school with plans to shoot his best friend and then himself. But first, he spends the day saying his goodbyes to the people who matter most to him. Should Tatum sign on, he’ll play a caring teacher who steps in.
The adaptation has been in development at The Weinstein Co. for over a year.James Ponsoldt(The Spectacular Now)was on board at one pointto write and direct but is no longer involved. The search is on for a new writer to adapt the book.
Tatum is coming off Bennett Miller’s Oscar hopefulFoxcatcherand has several more high-profile projects due out in the next couple years including the Wachowskis’Jupiter Ascending, the Coens’Hail, Caesar!, Quentin Tarantino’sThe Hateful Eight, and theGambitX-Men spinoff.
Most recently, Tatum wrapped a starring role inMagic Mike XXL, which he also wrote and produced with Carolin. The pair are alsoattached to co-directThe Son, a crime thriller based on the book by Jo Nesbø. However,The Sondoesn’t have a studio yet and it’s unclear which project will go first.
Silver Linings Playbookis the only book of Quick’s that has actually made it to the big screen at this point, but he’s already a favorite in Hollywood.Little Miss Sunshinehelmers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris areworking onThe Good Luck of Right Now, and Sam Raimi isplanning to makeLove May Failfrom a script by Mike White.
