David Frankel Might Direct Will Smith In ‘Collateral Beauty’
Collateral Beautymust be a really good script, because it keeps attracting some major talent. The studio drama wasoriginallygoing to starHugh Jackman(Pan) andRooney Mara(alsoPan), before they had to drop out. It was rumoredJohnny Deppwas circling the lead, but ultimatelythe rolewent toWill Smith.ThenNew Line Cinema lost its exciting director, but a replacement has now been found. DirectorDavid Frankelmay take over the project.
Learn Beautydirector after the jump.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, hot off his wonderful feature debutMe and Earl and the Dying Girl, was originally going to helmCollateral Beauty. However, not long after joining the project, Gomez-Rejon departed over creative differences. According toVariety, Frankel is his replacement.Jason Bateman(Bad Words) was also in the mix to direct, before Frankel was offered the job.
ScreenwriterAllan Loeb’s (Rock of Ages) script sold for over $2 million, a pretty lofty price tag for a spec script.Collateral Beautyis about a New York advertising executive (Smith, presumably) who experiences a deep personal tragedy, spiraling into depression. When his colleagues devise an unconventional plan to break him out of his depression, the plan works, but not in a way that anyone imagined.
It’s a rather vague but alluring plot synopsis. The last time we saw Smith in a heavy drama wasSeven Pounds, which didn’t turn out so well. He returns to drama with the upcomingConcussion, which premieres tonight at the American Film Institute Festival (and we’ll have a review in the next day or two on the site).
Frankel is a fine choice forCollateral Beauty. The director has had some misses over his career, likeMarley & Meand the harmless but forgettableThe Big Year, but he’s made some serious non-tentpole hits.The Devil Wear’s PradaandHope Springsaren’t only two delightful movies, they also were commercial and creative hits – a tough balance to pull off. Frankel has a firm handle on tone, andCollateral Beautysounds like it needs a director with that skill.
Principal photography was scheduled to start next month. It’s unsure whether the shoot date will be pushed back to give Frankel more time to prep and to fill out the rest of the cast – which may also includeJason Segel, who gave his best performance to date in this year’sThe End of the Tour.
