Two directors who have a lot brewing, but not much moving are heading to ABC for some television projects that will likely keep their chops honed as they wait for their various feature efforts to come together.
First up, Alex Proyas ("Dark City," "I, Robot") will executive produce and direct "Evolve." The Jamie Paglia ("Eureka")-penned drama is based on the "Toxic City" trilogy of novels by Tim Lebbon, and follows a band of Los Angeles citizens who endeavor to discover the truth about what really happened when a biological agent was released in the air two years earlier, leaving much of the city of quarantined. It turns out those exposed have been given great powers, and the government is looking to destroy them. How very "X-Men."
Next, Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale") will executive produce and direct "Coup." Penned by "Mad Men" co-executive producer Chris Black, the show centers on a man who teams with a mercenary to get his wife back who has been taken hostage overseas in the midst of a coup. How very "Taken." [Deadline]
Martin Campbell for the '24' movie…
Proyas is an interesting cat. The star-crossed "The Crow" is one of my all-time favorite movies (I'm a bit obsessed by revenge stories where "good" triumphs over "evil") & "Knowing" was far better than I expected & really taught me a lesson about so-called critics. "Knowing" also proved that Nic Cage could still act. I hope he can get the long planned "Paradise Lost" into production because at the very least it would give his gift for spectacular visuals full flexing power.