We’ve had a certain fondness for Gore Verbinski ever since his debut with the above-average kids flick “Mousehunt” in 1998. He’s perhaps overly indebted to Burton and Gilliam, but is arguably more technically adept than either, and, while he’s yet to make a great film, even the worst of his work has something to recommend it (James Gandolfini’s performance in “The Mexican,” some of the smaller, Python-esque moments in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”).
He’s given over much of the last decade to that franchise, but having handed over the reins of the fourth installment to Rob Marshall, he’s free to pursue other projects. He’s been linked to various movies over the years, including an adaptation of the video game “Bioshock,” a remake of “Clue” and a segment of “Heavy Metal,” but next up is the bizarre looking “Rango,” a performance-capture/animation hybrid starring Johnny Depp, which premiered a trailer yesterday
Now, he’s signed a deal for his next live-action picture, Twentieth Century Fox’s remake of the Danny Kaye-starrer “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” a project that’s been in development for literally decades. Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg were both attached to direct the likes of Jim Carrey and Owen Wilson in the lead role, about a timid daydreamer and his many fantasy lives, but with Verbinski signed, the studio are moving ahead full steam on the project.
Pajiba reported a few months back that there was movement on the film, with an offer apparently going out to Sacha Baron Cohen to star, although Variety suggest that he’s turned it down, and there’s no further word on casting. Verbinski will reunite with writer Steve Conrad, who was behind the oddity “The Weather Man” and, while we didn’t exactly love that film (it was a little chilly, and occasionally misjudged), there was plenty to like, including one of Nicolas Cage’s few engaged performances in recent years. If the same approach is used here, perhaps ‘Walter Mitty’ won’t merely be just an expensive, high-concept comedy and will offer a little bit more. If all goes well, shooting will kick off in the spring.
