With writing credits across both television and film that include “The West Wing,” “The Newsroom,” “A Few Good Men,” “Steve Jobs,” “Moneyball,” and more, Aaron Sorkin, for all his acclaim, has yet to make the leap to directing. But during The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith last fall, he revealed that he once considered directing a film which won him a screenwriting Oscar.
READ MORE: Aaron Sorkin Takes The Credit And Blame For Final Scene In ‘Steve Jobs’
“I always think that [I’ll direct the screenplay I’m writing] and then by time I’m finished with the screenplay, I love the screenplay so much I just want a better director. I don’t want to take a chance on myself. Seriously, I was going to direct ‘
[The] Social Network’ and we just decided, ‘You know what, let’s send it to
[David] Fincher, he’s going to say no, and then we’ll move on.’ We sent it to Fincher, and two hours later he emailed and said, ‘Hey Aaron, it’s David Fincher, I’m going to direct
The Social Network,’ “ he said.
“I was not in the least bummed. I identify as a writer, and if the choice is between me and David Fincher to direct, I want Fincher,” he added. However, Sorkin is now making the jump to the director’s chair, with a movie that will feature his first female protagonist.
In 2014 Sorkin signed up adapt the memoir “Molly’s Game,” and Deadline now reports he’ll helm the picture now too. The book by Molly Bloom chronicles how the athlete and a law student wound up running an exclusive high-stakes Hollywood poker game, with players including Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire….and, unbeknownst to her, members of the Russian mafia. Here’s the book synopsis:
Molly Bloom reveals how she built one of the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker games in the world—an insider’s story of excess and danger, glamour and greed.
In the late 2000s, Molly Bloom, a twentysomething petite brunette from Loveland Colorado, ran the highest stakes, most exclusive poker game Hollywood had ever seen—she was its mistress, its lion tamer, its agent, and its oxygen. Everyone wanted in, few were invited to play.
Hundreds of millions of dollars were won and lost at her table. Molly’s game became the game for those in the know—celebrities, business moguls, and millionaires. Molly staged her games in palatial suites with beautiful views and exquisite amenities. She flew privately, dined at exclusive restaurants, hobnobbed with the heads of Hollywood studios, was courted by handsome leading men, and was privy to the world’s most delicious gossip, until it all came crashing down around her.
Molly’s Game is a behind the scenes look at Molly’s game, the life she created, the life she lost, and what she learned in the process.
Sounds pretty fascinating, with a setting that’s perfect for Sorkin’s typically motormouthed characters. No word yet on when production will begin, but assuming that script is done, I imagine it’s gearing up to go soon. Check out Sorkin’s full talk with Jeff Goldsmith below.
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