Another young talent in Hollywood has just decided to make the transition to directing. Not long ago, multi-talented artist Joseph Gordon-Levitt announced plans for his first foray behind the camera with a comedy that he also wrote and will star in alongside Scarlett Johansson. A few days after, Going the Distance screenwriter Geoff LaTullippe landed a deal at Paramount to direct one of his own screenplays. And now actor Ben Foster has joined the freshmen by lining up his own directorial debut.
Screen Daily first broke the news that the very talented performer (when he's not going comically way over the top, like in Alpha Dog) will be making the move from in front to behind the camera. While details about the project are being kept under wraps, the film is being set up at US producers Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen's Parts & Labor Production Company and will be made under the watchful eye of Oren Moverman. I think it's fair to say that Moverman has clearly developd a kinship and certainly some influence over the actors he works with since Woody Harrelson wants to work on anything the writer/director creates (The Messenger, Rampart) and now he's stepping in the produce Foster first film. It's really a prefect match because I think Foster's finest work to date was for Movermen in 2009's Messenger.
Foster's film, due to start shooting sometime this summer, is part of a budding slate for Parts & Labor which includes films from Gregg Araki, Adam Rapp and Robinson Devor. The production company plans to make several low budget (three to five million) character driven projects, citing their wonderful work with Mike Mill's excellent Beginners as a case example. Lars Knudsen of P&L said these new projects fit within their frame because they "understand how to maintain or creative production values at these low budgets. That’s how we’re approaching the company... You need to find that price point where it’s attractive for everyone." If they can continue to produce films as unique and interesting as Beginners, and by the sounds of these projects they are certainly trying, then this model is definitely attractive for everyone.
