The Kids Are All Right director Lisa Cholodenko seemed to be locked in to helm the upcoming adaptation of Sam Munson's novel November Criminals, the project has undergone some shakeups in the last year, and today it's been reported that the film has not only found a new helmer, but also a new star. Sources have informed The Wrap that filmmaker Sacha Gervasi has taken over as both screenwriter and director, and that Chloe Moretz is now attached to star.
First published in 2011, the novel is set in Washington D.C. and tells the story of high school senior Addison Schacht, who moonlights as a pot dealer and amateur private detective. When a classmate of his is murdered, he takes it upon himself to try and solve the case, and it doesn't take long before he finds himself over his head. Moretz will be playing the female lead in the film, a girl named Phoebe, but the source doesn't specify exactly how she fits into the plot. Gervasi is currently working to find an actor to play Addison, which is described as being a "hotly-contested male lead."
Steven Knight, whose credits include David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises and the upcoming fantasy film Seventh Son, penned the first version of the script, but now Gervasi will be putting his own personal spin on the story. Gervasi, whose previous screenwriting credits include Steven Spielberg's The Terminal, got his big directing break helming the 2008 music documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, which was a hit amongst critics. In 2012 he got his first chance to direct a narrative feature making the "behind the scenes of Psycho" movie Hitchcock, but this effort wasn't nearly as successful critically (though it did go on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling). Get a sense of the filmmaker's style with the trailers below:
Moretz most recently reprised her role as amateur superhero Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass 2, and has Carrie coming out later this month just in time for Halloween. She's completed production on Lynn Shelton's Laggies, which co-stars Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell, and next year will be featured alongside Denzel Washington and Melissa Leo in Antoine Fuqua's adaptation of the television series The Equalizer.
While this project seems to be still in early stages, it's ramping up very quickly. Indian Paintbrush is set to produce the film along with Knight, and production could start as early as January 2014.
