While he’s amply proven himself in front of the camera, Woody Harrelson is stepping behind the lens for his directorial debut, The Guardian reports. His first time helming a feature will be Lost in London, but little else is currently known about the project besides the fact that Harrelson will also pen the script. Harrelson also spoke about how he dropped out of the George Clooney-directed, Cohen Brothers-scripted Suburbicon so he could instead work on Rob Reiner’s Shock and Awe. After that, Harrelson will go on to make his directorial debut with Lost in London. In the meantime, Harrelson can be seen in LBJ, as well as the upcoming The Edge of Seventeen.
In other news, Deadline reports David Mamet is taking the reins on a script he wrote titled Speed-The-Plow, itself an adaptation of his own stage play from 1988. With a sharply critical eye, Speed-The-Plow is a satirical look into the state of Hollywood. It follows Bobby Gould, a newly appointed studio chief who faces workplace pressure to find a big hit for the company. The web begins to tangle as a friend gifts him a project that will attract a star working for another studio, and a bet that spawns around a secretary with an agenda of her own. No word has been set on casting, with the film set for a February start date. The script was originally set to be directed by Michael Polish, but he exited due to unknown reasons, so Mamet himself took the helm.
Lastly, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, a long-running comic book, is being adapted into a live-action feature that will be co-produced by Warner Bros. and Japanese major Toho, Variety reports. Helmed by Takashi Miike, a maverick filmmaker, the story follows the Joestar family, who dispatch supernatural enemies with their very special set of skills. The feature will reportedly focus on Part 4 of the comic series, which is titled “Diamond Is Unbreakable,” translated to English. A release date is currently set for the summer of 2017.