Let’s all put our thoughts together in hoping director David Lowery’s career doesn’t immediately fall beneath the weight of itself – or Lowery’s banging-ass mustache – before the guy actually has a chance to thrive in cinemas. Lowery has for years been an editor, writing and directing his own shorts and has the 2009 drama St. Nick behind him. His latest film, the artsy crime drama Ain’t Them Bodies Saints was a Sundance smash, drawing comparisons to Terrence Malick, of all people, and will no doubt wow audiences when it hits theaters on August 16.
As such, it’s no surprise the guy is getting high profile projects thrown at him left and right. The Hollywood Reporter puts Lowery as the director and writer of a revised adaptation of Torso, the 1998-1999 limited comic series written by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, with art by Bendis. I say revised, because this project has been around for quite a while, and was supposed to be David Fincher’s follow-up to Zodiac, before Paramount balked at the budget. Well the rights to Torso reverted back to Bendis, who along with Andreyko will serve as producers, along with the company Circle of Confusion.
Lowery has been tapped to rein in the true crime subject matter as a low-budget, high-minded serial killer tale. Its tone is in the same violent ballpark as Zodiac and Se7en, so it would have been interesting if Fincher had come back to it instead of re-adapting a half-decent novel for American audiences. But it’s Lowery’s show now, and that’s just fine, dammit.
But Lowery piled a lot onto his plate recently, with the Pete’s Dragon remake for Disney and a different true crime drama, which includes co-writing and co-directing with Robert Redford.
Torso tells another tale from the life of Eliot Ness, years after his Untouchables days. During his time as a Cleveland Safety Director, the “Torso Murderer,” or the Butcher of Kingsbury Run, struck Cleveland, leaving anonymous torsos dumped in rivers, taunting police with letters. It’s a gripping read, and Bendis’ art definitely lends itself to cinema, so put this one on your bulletin boards for the time being.
Below is a video of Lowery talking about Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, so you can get a feel for that epic ‘stache.
