With his action comedy RED being a critical and commercial success, director Robert Schwentke has become a sought-after talent in Hollywood getting rumored for many big-budget projects including The Wolverine. He will next direct R.I.P.D. starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, with Kevin Bacon and Jodie Foster in talks and his follow-up to that 2013 film has now been revealed.
Variety reports he will direct something quite different, The Poison Kitchen. The drama thriller “traces the rise of the Nazi Party” and is written by Ninja Assassin scribe Matthew Sand. Check out an extended synopsis below.
“..tells the true story of the Muenchener Post, the Munich newspaper that waged a war for more than a decade against the burgeoning Nazi Party and its leader Adolf Hitler, who referred to the broadsheet as the “Munich Pest.” After ascending to power in 1933, Nazi stormtroopers raided the paper, destroyed the editorial offices and printing presses and imprisoned the editorial staff, shutting down the paper for good.”
Said to be in English-language, the style will be more like a thriller instead of a dry drama, something right up Schwentke’s sleeve. Constantin Film will be producing and head of film and television Martin Moszkowicz said the following:
We’ve always wanted to do a movie about the ramp up to 1933: What happened in the early years, how did Hitler get to where he ended up and how did that work? That’s really about this time.
The company also announced it has selected Michael Blake (Dances with Wolves) to adapt the Native American story Winnetou, but we’ll have more news on that as it heads into production. As for The Poison Kitchen, I’m happy to see Schwentke try something different and that he isn’t wasting time with a RED sequel. Despite all the acclaim, I thought the original was a terribly lazy film and hope Schwentke can deliver something special with this Hitler thriller. It would be nice to see something not Americanized to create a wide-appeal blockbuster.
What do you think about Schwentke taking on The Poison Kitchen?