For a few years there Curtis Hanson was everywhere, directing Oscar nominees like L.A. Confidential and Wonder Boys, goofy entertainment like The River Wild and a god-knows-what-he-was-thinking venture like 8 Mile. But his last film was 2007's Lucky You, a movie that debuted in the shadow of Spider-Man 3 and was quickly forgotten.
Is Hanson ready to return to the spotlight? Well, he's at least changing pace from his last two chick flicks, so that's something. Production Weekly reports that Hanson will direct a biopic about Jay Moriarity, the "surfing wonderboy" who was at the top of the sport in the late 90s before dying in a free-diving accident at age 22 in 2001. Sean Penn is in negotiations to play Moriarity's mentor, Rick "Frosty" Hesson. Penn has flitted in and out of a lot of roles following his latest Oscar win, so who knows if this is one he'll actually commit to. Maybe Hanson ought to send him a DVD of Point Break to remind him how much fun it would be to spend a few months on the beach?
