I'm giddy with excitement that
Cameron Crowe is gearing up to direct his next feature film, his first since 2005. His under-rated
Vanilla Sky is in my top three favourite films of all time (and I really don't care if you think I'm crazy for saying that), and his CV boasts three further knockouts in
Jerry Maguire,
Almost Famous and
Say Anything. I was even moved by
Elizabethtown and I've always wondered how different the public perception to that movie might be if it had came out in 1995 with Tom Cruise in the Orlando Bloom role (as it seemed to be written for) and Amy Adams of right now in the Dunst part. The weakness of Elizabethtown isn't in the screenplay but in the casting of the two leads, I feel, and Crowe deserved better from the talent he gave the ball to.
After initially threatening retirement, Crowe will make his welcomed comeback with
We Bought A Zoo, a dramedy based on the memoir of
Benjamin Mee whose life crumbled at the news his wife was dying of cancer, and he made the decision to upsticks elsewhere - purchasing a struggling zoo with over 200 exotic animals the whole family (the in-laws including) could run. Much like Elizabethtown, its a movie about characters trying to come to terms with something theyre lost, and finding connections with the people around them.
Matt Damon is already in for the lead, and now after losing out on a ton of roles this year,
Scarlett Johansson is in final talks to play his dying wife.
It's a huge role for Johansson, beating out
Amy Adams and
Rachel McAdams who were both circling, and two names who on paper would seem more ripe for Crowe's distinct character direction. The role is an important one, all in flashbacks, and if you don't buy Damon/Johansson's connection - the whole movie will fail. The script comes from
Aline Brosh McKenna(The Devil Wears Prada, Morning Glory), and I believe for the first time in Crowes career he is set to helm a project he didnt initially pitch and write. Although clearly it's a story that fits in with his sweet and the sour philosophy on life, and as it's the first film made after his separation from his 20-odd year marriage with Nancy Wilson, a love story about mourning has that extra bite to it. Also cast are
Thomas Haden Church (as Duncan Mee) and young actor
Colin Ford (as Damon's son). Production begins in March, for a Dec 23rd, 2011 release.