While David O. Russell failed to come away friends with George Clooney during his time on the set of “Three Kings” it looks like he and Ice Cube got along just fine. And now it seems the two are set to work together in the best idea we’ve heard in a while.
Deadline reports that Russell has conceived a franchise idea that would follow “a plainclothes detective who’s quick on the trigger in an R-rated raw drama that’s thematically a throwback” to the Dirty Harry films. Joining up with New Line‘s chief Toby Emmerich, the duo has brought the project to Cube to play the lead role and now deals are in the works.
It’s still fairly early in the game as story beats and even who will write the project are being worked out, but its expected that Russell will at least co-write. While it’s not directly mentioned that Russell will direct, we would imagine its definitely in the cards. We must say how excited we are by the potential of an auteur driven franchise. Russell and Cube doing a gritty, ’70s styled unhinged cop drama? Fuck. Yes.
Russell currently has a couple of other projects in the mix including “Old St. Louis,” aiming for a spring shoot as well as the video game adaptation “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.” Meanwhile, Cube is presumably kicking ass in another cop drama, Oren Movernman‘s “Rampart” exploring the corruption within the LAPD in the early 1990s. But let’s hope movement gets going on this project because this is one that doesn’t deserve to wind up sitting in a desk drawer.
That\’s the point — using Cube keeps it real and raw. While I love love love Denzel and Samuel L., anything made with them would be too slick — there are certain things neither would probably do. But Cube could \”go there.\” Elba could pull it off and probably bring in more of a crossover audience and bigger box office. But Cube has a cult like following — mixing it up with an interesting and probably pretty smart choice.
I get a kick out of the idea that someone\’s excited about the idea of an Ice Cube movie in 2010, like he\’s coming off a respected body of work. Also, don\’t hold your breath that a studio is going to put money behind giving him a franchise that doesn\’t involve kids or weed or both.
Replace Cube with Denzel or Sam Jackson though, and I could almost imagine this movie actually happening. Hell, Idris Elba\’s hot, give it to him.
It\’s way too early to tell but the whole premise of the \”unhinged\” copy who plays by his own rules is so tired I can\’t believe someone of Russell\’s calibre would even bother. And a franchise built around Ice Cube? I don\’t think so.
don\’t forget Wahlberg:he did several movies with Russel!