Upon seeing the excellent crime thriller '
The Town', I made the bold comparison that director
Ben Affleck might be on the verge of becoming the new Sidney Lumet. My fellow OWF writer Adam Rayner thought 'he was more Michael Mann'. Regardless, both are highly flattering comparisons and if nothing else, we were both in agreement that 'The Town's is by far, and I mean by a country mile or so, the best thing we've seen in theatres for some time. Warner Bros, who have been so pleased with the $51 million and counting domestic return, also agree.
Vulture say they have offered him the directing gig on the 40's set cop-drama '
Tales From The Gangster Squad". Warner Bros set novelist and former South Central L.A. cop
Will Beall the task of adapting
Paul Lieberman's series of articles in the L.A. Times two years ago, in preparation for a feature film. Lieberman's writings concerned the 'off-the-record' and questionable L.A.P.D. of the 1940's and their influence from the East Coast Mafia, and particularly their chase against gangster Mickey Cohen, a violent muscle man for Chicago's notorious criminal Al Capone. If it sounds like a familiar kind of picture to 'Public Enemies', then well, that's because it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alu76iIFJ60 As we've said, only an offer is out to Affleck at this point and there's no guarantee's he will accept it. But L.A. material about L.A. cops written by an L.A. cop is the kind of project that doesn't come around very often. If ever. So we hope he takes it.