Dermot Mulroney got a taste of life as a director with his recently wraped debut Love, Wedding, Marriage, but apparently he likes it behind the camera and has already signed on for a new project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mulroney will direct a biopic about former international soccer star and current humanitarian and politician George Weah. Mulroney, along with producers Rainier Negri and Tharita Cutulle, was able to convince Weah to give his life story rights to the team, who are currently looking for a writer.
Weah’s story is nothing if not extraordinary. The Liberian was a soccer star in the mid 90’s for Italian club team AC Milan, won FIFA Player of the year in 1995 and was eventually named African Player of the Century. After his playing days were over, Weah turned his focus to helping his war-torn Liberia. He has worked with Liberian children to keep them away from the country’s civil war and made an unsuccessful run for president in 2005.
This directorial turn for Mulroney is decidedly different than most of his other acting (and very short) directing career. Mulroney admitted as much:
"Man can't live on romantic comedies alone...It was a good starter kit for me as a director. But if I'm actually going to have legs as a director, I need to do the same things as I've done as actor: one of everything.
This is a refreshing outlook from a guy that could have easily spent his directing career rehashing the same tired plots and contrived romantic outcomes. With a film about Weah, he takes a big story and a little risk to make a movie about a world figure.
