Like many in my age group, I fell in love with the work of Charlie Kaufman through 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Since then I have made it a point to watch everything that the man has done; in an industry where most movies blend together, Kaufman’s work is comprised of some of the few that don’t. And now he’s climbing back into the director’s chair for a second time, three years after his directorial debut Synecdoche, New York.
Variety reports that Kaufman’s next project is the indie musical Frank or Francis and it’s attracting some big names: Nicholas Cage, Jack Black, and Steve Carell have all attached themselves for starring roles. Black and Carell are new to the world of Kaufman while Cage’s last Kaufman-written film, 2002’s Adaptation, netted him an Oscar nomination. It looks like Cage wants to do something that he can actually not be embarrassed by; god for him.
Details on Frank or Francis are scarce, but Variety’s sources indicate that it’s a Hollywood satire where an auteur director (Frank) and a movie blogger go to war with one another. Casting director Jeanne McCarthy and Kaufman are still in the process of casting the two lead female roles, with the caviat being that both roles require the person to sing. Should casting go smoothly, Frank or Francis has a potential production start date of January 2012.
An indie musical that doubles as a satire? It sounds a little off, but then again considering Charlie Kaufman specializes in the off-kilter we shouldn’t expect anything less. If anyone could make that work, it’s definitely him.
What do you think about this team-up?