Hugh Jackman’s ‘Avon Man’ Comedy Comes Next; Shoots In April

Last summer it was reported that Hugh Jackman would star in “Avon Man” for 20th Century Fox, a project written by “Hitch” screenwriter Kevin Bisch.

Evidently, that’s true and now the film has found a director in “Enchanted” helmer Kevin Lima and the comedy will begin shooting this April in Atlanta according to Production Weekly.

What does this mean for Antoine Fuqua’s “Prisoners,” set to star Jackman that was already delayed, that still has a release date of October 22, 2010 penciled in over at Box-Office Mojo? Well, it already was a dead-safe bet that the film won’t open this fall and now it’s more of a question whether it will actually shoot in 2010 or not (though surely there’s still time in the year).

Clearly “Avon Man” was ready to go and by all accounts, “Prisoners” is having some development issues and needs work. That film has been tossed around — Bryan Singer, Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg were once interested — but don’t be surprised if that project dies a quiet death and the talent moves on. Who knows, really, but what was once a hot script that was being fast-tracked is now clearly on the backburner.

“Avon Man” sounds like it’s for Jackman’s female constituency only (think films like “Kate & Leopold,” and “Someone Like You…”) so the geeks that loved to hate “Wolverine” will likely have to sit this one out (and it sounds vaguely resembling the town of the failed Mel Gibson comedy, “What Women Want”).

The picture is about a laid-off auto dealership car salesman who is forced to become an Avon rep to make money. Apparently it will have a “Full Monty,” vibe and of course there will be emasculation and hilarity ensues. Jackman also has a Dreamworks-lead futuristic “Rocky”-esque project in the works called” Real Steel” and it’ll be directed by Shawn Levy the *cough* auteur behind “Night Of The Museum.” It’s conceivable that even that will shoot before “Prisoners.”