Tom Hardy Attached To David Yates' Al Capone Film; Director Also Mulling Three-Film ‘The Stand’ And ‘Fables’?
As theHarry Potterfranchise ends, one question being mulled in some executive quarters is: what will directorDavid Yatesdo next? Primarily a television director prior to helmingHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, David Yates oversaw the last half of thePotterfranchise in a way that balanced fan and studio interest. His previous television success (most notably withState of Play) will for some time be overshadowed byHarry Potter. Warner Bros. clearly likes him, so what is his next move?
Not long ago he said he would like to make something small before jumping back onto something as big as Potter, and he’s been linked to the Al Capone biopicCicero. NowTom Hardyis reportedly attached to play Capone, and David Yates may also be offered a couple of huge genre projects: adaptations ofStephen King’snovelThe Stand, and of the comic seriesFables.
Vulturesays thatThe Standhas been a high priority at Warner Bros. and that the director is about to meet on that. But with the developments onThe Dark Towerover at Universal, it isn’t difficult to see why a three-film adaptation ofThe Standstill seems like a difficult prospect. But that’s what WB is looking to make.
AndFablesis a promising project — it reworks fairy tale tropes in noir fashion — but similar to other projects at other companies. Yates wasrumored for thisover a year ago, so it seems like things haven’t moved too far forward. Here’s a basic description of the firstFablesvolume:
“Who Killed Rose Red? In fabletown, where fairy legends live along side regular New yorkers, the question is all anyone can talk about. But only the Big Bad Wolf can actually solve the case – and, along with Rose’s sisterSnow White, keep the Fabletown community from coming apart at the seams.”
Right now,Cicerosounds like the most promising thing on his plate. That wasmentionedas a possible David Yates film back in March. Vulture says that Tom Hardy is now attached to the film, which is using a script originally written byWalon Green. This, too, is potentially viewed as something that could stretch over multiple films, with the first movie only covering Capone’s initial rise to power in Chicago. But there are questions there, too, since Tom Hardy has to finish The Dark Knight Rises, and is scheduled to shoot Mad Max: Fury Road next spring. There is a window of opportunity there, butCicerowill have to move fast to take advantage of it.
A decision onThe Standmight be made within the next couple weeks, but at this point there isn’t enough information to make a truly informed call about how things are likely to shake out.
