Though David Schwimmer will forever be known as Ross from Friends (which is what happens when you are part of one of television’s most successful sitcoms), his fledgling directorial career so far is characterized by films that couldn’t be more different in tone and subject matter. He got his feet wet with the Simon Pegg comedy Run Fatboy Run before moving on to Trust, which discusses the dangers of Internet chat rooms. And it was during a Web chat on behalf of Trust that Schwimmer revealed what his next project might be.
During a revealing conversation with Empire, where he updated fans on the status of Madagascar 3 (he has recorded his vocal parts) and confessed to his favorite sandwich (a medium-rare cheeseburger with mustard, tomato, lettuce and onion), Schwimmer said that he’s optioned the rights to an adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s epic turn-of-the-century novel The Jungle. Schwimmer says it will be a “character-driven” story about “a young immigrant from Lithuania to the meat-packing industry of Chicago in 1904, and the rise of the unions in America.” Once again, completely different from his previous efforts.
I also like that in the same interview, Schwimmer tells one chat participant that he’d love to try his hand at a good horror script. Who knew Ross was so versatile? Of course, he’ll need Trust to make a little money before a studio is willing to bankroll a sizeable production of The Jungle. But Schwimmer’s fearlessness behind the lens so far has led to some creative decisions, and it’s exciting to see just where his talents will take him next.
