The Illusionist impressed me enough over the weekend to take note of
Neil Burger's career. Slick visuals and a great eye for casting shone through what was only a half decent script.
Variety are reporting that his next movie pitch has been acquired by Universal, with Burger again writing the screenplay, this time along with Dirk Wittenborn.
New York-set story concerns an imminent terror threat that's caused a law-enforcement crackdown, bringing all crime to a standstill. The criminals get organized, pooling their resources to search for the terrorists. While their motivation is to get back to their nefarious business, the exercise forces them to re-examine their morality and place in society. Burger brought a really great atmosphere to The Illusionist which should in part be credited to the legendary cinematographer
Dick Pope. This dude might be worth keeping an eye on. source -
variety,
coming soon