During an interview last week for The Lucky Ones, the road trip drama that comes out this Friday, director Neil Burger was also happy to talk details about his next two projects. While there's already been a lot of talk about Dark Fields, the thriller that will star Shia LaBeouf, it's possible that won't even be the first project on deck, despite reports that it would begin filming this winter.
"We're supposed to shoot this winter; I'm not sure if that's going to happen," Burger said, mentioning LaBeouf's broken hand as the reason for the possible delay. Set in New York, Burger says the movie is a realistic take on the sci-fi premise that a person could take a pill to make them smarter. "It's about human potential and about power. It's very much about power in New York."
But what might come first is a project you've heard less about-- The Criminals, which has also been set up at Universal. Apparently the concept is based on some real-life figures-- "We found these criminal groups-- it's like the Mafia is dead, and it's a motley group that's filled the void." Burger compared the criminal groups to Fagin and his pickpocketing orphans in the novel Oliver Twist, except it's an organized group of beggars who park outside ATMs and then give a cut of their earnings to a head honcho. "You know how outside a hardware store you see people who are immigrants, waiting [for work]. Like the same thing for crooks."
The details are a little sketchy at this point, but it'll definitely be a far cry from both The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones, Burger's two most recent features. Check back later today for the rest of our interview with Burger, including an exclusive chat about The Lucky Ones.
