Not only has Steve McQueen lined up a film based on the life of Paul Robeson, he’s also taking on a heist thriller, reports Caroline Siede at the AV Club: “McQueen will write, direct, and produce the film, which is based on a ’80s British miniseries called Widows about four women who are left widowed when their husbands die in a failed armed robbery. Naturally, the women decide to come together and finish the job.”
Kate Erbland‘s got related news at the Dissolve: “Since earning an Academy Award for her stunning turn in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave,” Lupita Nyong’o has lined up “a part in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, a voice role in The Jungle Book, and taking on both starring and producing duties on the big screen adaptation of the beloved novel Americanah.” And “Nyong’o will soon star in Mira Nair’s big-screen adaptation of Tim Crothers’s The Queen of Katwe, the true-life story of Phiona Mutesi, an Ugandan chess prodigy and one of the country’s most lauded chess players in history.”
The next adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 will be directed by Paul Greengrass, produced by Scott Rudin and written by James Graham. Deadline‘s Mike Fleming Jr. has the story. Also: “Penélope Cruz is signing on to star with Ben Stiller in Zoolander 2.”
“Jean-Marc Vallée, director of Wild and Dallas Buyers Club, is in talks to direct Amy Adams in the long-in-development Janis Joplin biopic,” reports Variety‘s Dave McNary.
“Peter Straughan, the writer who was nominated for an Oscar for co-writing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, has been tapped to adapt Donna Tartt’s popular novel The Goldfinch.” Borys Kit has more.
Also in the Hollywood Reporter, Tatiana Siegel: Jason Reitman “will direct and [Nick] Hornby is onboard to adapt I Would Only Rob Banks for My Family, a true-life story based on a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth. The story revolves around a seemingly ordinary Texas family who pulled off two bold heists before they were caught attempting a third.”
“Mel Gibson is to direct his first movie in eight years, the second-world-war drama Hacksaw Ridge,” reports the Guardian‘s Ben Child. “Andrew Garfield looks set to star in a film based on the true story of a conscientious objector who was ostracized for his refusal to carry a weapon, but won a US congressional medal of honor for his heroic actions on the battlefield.”
Also in the Guardian, Xan Brooks: “Matthew McConaughey is tipped to take the role of villainous Randall Flagg in The Stand, a Hollywood franchise based on the 1978 Stephen King novel. Backed by Warner Bros, The Stand will be released as four standalone pictures directed by Josh Boone. Discussing the project on Kevin Smith’s podcast, Boone described The Stand as ‘the Godfather of post-apocalyptic thrillers.’ … Boone directed the teen weepy The Fault in Our Stars and has also been booked to direct another Stephen King adaptation, Lisey’s Story.”
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