Say you’re a studio executive at Disney, and you’ve got this script on your desk, a script called “Overnight.” It was pitched to you as “ ‘Home Alone’ in a toy store,” with the story following a father and son, who’ve won a sleepover in a toy store, and have to defend it against burglars until morning comes—and now it needs a director. As you sit there, chomping on your cigar and contemplating the Mickey-shape decanter of whiskey on your desk, do you think to yourself “what I need is a man who got his start with a short called ‘Masturbation,’ made a gruesome zombie comedy and a stoner kidnap comedy, and then topped it off with a star-studded, very violent, critically disdained period gangster flick”?
Apparently, yes you do, which is why Disney has just hired the only man alive who fits that description: Ruben Fleischer, of “Zombieland,” “30 Minutes or Less” and “Gangster Squad.” Well, he’s certainly flexible. We’ll bring you more word on “Overnight” when we have it. [Deadline]
Meanwhile,
Warner Bros. keeps trying to find someone to stay on long enough to direct an adaptation of
Stephen King‘s “
The Stand.” They’ve tried going with bigger names—
David Yates, Ben Affleck and
Scott Cooper all flirted with the gig in the past—and now they’ve gone a bit lower wattage, with
Josh Boone now getting the job. But there is a reason a guy whose credits include forgotten indie “
Stuck In Love” and the upcoming “
The Fault In Our Stars” makes sense.
Boone has been a huge King fan since he was a child, writing to the author at the age of 12, and sneaking away to read his books even as they were banned in his household. He managed to nab King for a cameo in “Stuck In Love” and the writer gave Boone permission to adapt “
Lisey’s Story.” But can Boone be the guy to finally get this long-developing project in front of cameras? We’ll soon see. [
THR]
Lastly, “
Best Man Holiday” director
Malcolm D. Lee is taking a “
Girls Trip.” He’ll direct the film about which plot details are under wraps, but you can probably guess what they are given the title. Production starts this summer. [
THR] —
additional reporting by Kevin Jagernauth
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