Paul Greengrass To Direct ‘Travis McGee’?
Paul Greengrasshas a pretty interesting career — he tends to flip between overtly social/political films and more pulpy material, but even his action films have a level of political awareness. Lately he’s had some trouble getting a movie made at all, with Universal passing on his MLK filmMemphis, and the King estate reportedly not so much in love with the script. (TheMemphisscript isn’t 100% flattering towards Dr. King, and DreamWorks already has a competing project in the works.)
So it looks like it might be time to flip back to the pulp material for a moment. The filmTravis McGee, based onJohn D. MacDonald’s novelThe Deep Blue Good-By, has been riding the development cycle for the past couple years. Oliver Stone was apossible director, and since 2009Leonardo DiCapriohas been attached to star in what is seen as a possible franchise opener. Now Paul Greengrass is now considering making it his own.
Deadlinesays that this is one of a efw projects the director is considering in the wake of the Memphis pushback, but that it is the most likely one. The original novel is the firsst of a 21-book run in which the character Travis McGee works as a salvage consultant to ‘recovers’ property for his clients; the first plot involves treasure hidden by a soldier after WWII.
The site also says that this, or another film, is likely to happen and then the director will return to the Scott Rudin-producedMemphis.Travis McGeemight not work out because of scheduling with Leonardo DiCaprio, who is finishingJ. Edgarthen hasThe Great Gatsbylined up.
Another possibility includes theBrian Helgeland-scriptedHere There Be Monsters, a Legendary Pictures film about “British naval officer John Paul Jones, who’s wrongly stripped of his commission and is hired by a rich shipping magnate to investigate the disappearance of his merchant ships in the North Atlantic. Jones and his shipmates slowly realize that it’s the work of a sea serpent, and they use unconventional yet visionary naval strategies to battle the creature and stay alive.” Hoo boy. An easy sell, sure, but that really doesn’t seem like Greengrass material.
