Robert Redford Takes ‘The Old Man And The Gun’ With ‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’ Director David Lowery

At 76 years old, Robert Redford could take the easy way out, working with the established veterans he could easily reach with a phone call, and doing safe material that would be a lay up with critics and audiences. But that’s just not how Redford rolls. Booking a part in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and with a reportedly dialogue-free role in “Margin Call” director J.C. Chandor‘s upcoming “All Is Lost,” Redford is finding some fun with younger filmmakers in the kinds of movies he’s not really known for. And now he’s teaming up with a director who made some serious waves at Sundance in January.

David Lowery — director of “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” and editor of “Upstream Color” — will write and direct “The Old Man And The Gun,” with Redford slated to star and produce. Based on a 2003 New Yorker article written by David Grann (a favorite it seems, with articles of his being eyed and taken on by folks like Roman Polanski, George Clooney and Kimberly Peirce) the story is based on the true story of Forrest Tucker, a lifelong bank robber who never shook the thrill of the chase. The article itself catches up with a 78 year-old Tucker, living in a retirement community, but still itching to crack open some safes. And while THR notes, “Lowery’s take focuses on a specific time period in Tucker’s life, although details were not revealed” one can take a pretty good guess given the star attached.

This is the latest high profile gig for Lowery post-Sundance, who was also recently hired to pen Disney‘s remake of “Pete’s Dragon” and it marks a 2013 that is turning out to be a helluva year for the filmmaker. ‘Saints’ arrives on August 16th so you can see exactly what the hype was about.