Does Peter Morgan ever sleep?

Peter Morgan is a busy, and probably extremely rich man according to a new article from Variety. The trade mag is reporting that Morgan will pen a sequel to THE QUEEN. The project deals with the transition of the US Presidency from Bill Clinton to George Bush, and Tony Blair's involvement with the pair. The movie will complete Morgan's "Blair Trilogy" that began with THE DEAL and continued with THE QUEEN. No director is attached but I'd imagine Stephen Frears will have first refusal. Bizarrely Variety calls this a sequel to THE QUEEN, despite there being absolutely no evidence to suggest that Her Royal Helen will appear. Anyway, this isn't the only project Morgan's been working on. Check out this impressive list (with Oscar probabilities included):-

FROST/NIXON - Based on the hit West End play, Ron Howard will direct the movie that pits Brit talk show host David Frost against shamed ex-President Richard Nixon.

Oscar chances - 5/5. Bank on this baby getting nominated. The Academy loves Richie Cunningham, and the coming years will see a Richard Nixon renaissance (he's in WATCHMEN too, y'know, and it's not exactly a throwaway part).

STATE OF PLAY - Matt loves this script. I love the original TV series, and who can't love the cast they've assembled? Morgan has polished the script for his LAST KING OF SCOTLAND helmer Kevin Macdonald. Matthew Michael Carnahan did the heavy lifting but Tony Gilroy and Morgan may get screen credit, too.

Oscar chances - 4/5. Could go either way. If the movie is half as the good as the TV series, then it'll get a shot. Expect Pitt, Norton and Mirren to be in the running for acting gongs.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY - Alec Guiness played aging spy George Smiley in the original TV adaptation of John le Carre's novel. Will the movie get a modern update or stay in the Cold War? Working Title and Imagine Entertainment are financing the project.

Oscar chances - 3/5. Le Carre's novels sometimes get the A-list treament (THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, THE CONSTANT GARDNER), sometimes not (THE RUSSIA HOUSE, THE TAILOR OF PANAMA). Espionage isn't usually Oscar bait, but a good director could swing this towards landing a little gold man.

THE DAMNED UTD - Based on the David Peace novel about genius football manager Brian Clough's turbulent tenure at Leeds United. Stephen Frears was originally set to direct but was replaced by Tom Hooper. Michael Sheen will play the abrasive Clough.

Oscar chances - 0/5. Nobody outside the UK knows who Brian Clough is. However this could be the best film of the lot and Clough will make for a memorable movie character. Expect BAFTAs and indie awards at best. Is Morgan pandering to the awards crowd? I don't think so, I think he's just doing stuff that interests him. I'm certainly going to be seeing all these films. The source material for all of these projects are stellar, and Morgan has the knack for transferring great stories across mediums. source - variety