The past year or so has been an unsure one when it comes to Paul Haggis. One minute he’s doing another remake, the next he’s writing something for Michael Mann — and then, like that, there’s a franchise with his name on it. None of those, with the possible exception of Gold, have truly gone forward in that entire time, but THR has news that could put an end to that dry run.

As they tell us, the Oscar winner has signed to direct Paris, a political drama written by Dawn Kuisma. Any specifics pertaining to the plot are not currently at hand, but this being labeled a “Canadian theatrical feature” — part of which is rooted in funding from the nation’s Harold Greenberg Fund — leads me to ask if this goes behind the closed doors of the country’s politics. The Ides of Poutine? (Wow, that was terrible.) Haggis‘ Crash co-writer, Bobby Moresco, will produce with Diamonds to Bullets Entertainment’s Christine Tyson.

Whether it be maple leaves or stars and stripes, I can never help but be discouraged when a project has the Haggis name attached. It’s not that he’s the worst person to have delivering work in Hollywood or anything; he’s just resoundingly unimpressive in almost every department. We can (and should) at least hold out some confidence that Paris will rise above that classification.

What are your thoughts on Paris? Are you a fan of Haggis?