Ang Lee is TAKING WOODSTOCK
Movie won't actually be about the famed concert but the events leading to it from the "gay" everyman who inadvertently set the wheels in motion!
Ang Lee is once again proving himself to be a director whose project choices are incredibly unpredictable (or maybe not if we delve deeper - see after the cover). Following on from his brilliant spy thriller Lust, Caution - which came after the gay western Brokeback Mountain - which came after the comic book movie Hulk... comes a drama about the summer of 1969 and the events of Woodstock. Variety say Lee will direct and his frequent partner in crime James Schamus will scribe a COMEDY based on Elliot Tiber's memoir "Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, Concert, and a Life," co-written with author Tom Monte.
Set during the politically turbulent summer of '69, story follows an Everyman working at his parents' motel in the Catskills who inadvertently sets in motion what would become the generation-defining concert. The pic will have one lead, based on Tiber, and a colorful ensemble. Speculation about original or period music was not confirmed, though the film is assuredly not going to be about the famed concert itself.What the trades seem to have neglected mentioning and what I have found in my research via google, Tiber is actually gay. Is Ang Lee once again touching on sexual politics? From a book review at Square One...
In the summer of 1969, Elliot Tiber's life changed in a way he never could have foreseen. Greenwich Village had become the mecca for gays in America. There, Elliot had socialized with the likes of Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Andy Warhol, and a talented young photographer named Robert Maplethorpe, and yet had managed to keep his gay life a secret from his family. Then on Friday, June 27, Elliot walked into the Stonewall Inn--and witnessed the riot that would galvanize the gay movement in the United States. And on July 17, when Elliot read that the Woodstock Concert promoters had lost their license to stage the show in Wallkill, he called to offer his help in finding a new venue. In the days that followed, Elliot found himself swept up in a vortex that would change his life forever. The events that unfolded during that hot New York summer have come to be recognized as major turning points in our cultural history. Few, however, have enjoyed Elliot Tiber's unique view of those events. Taking Woodstock is the funny, touching, and true story of the man who enabled Woodstock to take place. It is also the personal story of one man who took stock of his life, his lifestyle, and his future. In short, Taking Woodstock is like no history of Woodstock you have ever read.The film will be budgeted modestly around $5 million-$10 million and should begin production before the end of the year.