For years, the world has been quoting F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s well-worn axiom “There are no second acts in American lives.” Today’s media-soaked culture has been proving that depressing observation wrong over and over again. Case in point: Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston. Apparently destined to be remembered as the “goofy dad from Malcolm in the Middle,” Cranston started his second act in a huge way with his brilliant central performance as high-school-chemistry-teacher-turned-crystal-meth-kingpin Walter White.
Hollywood.com reports that Cranston is eyeing a return to writing and directing with an adaptation of David Wiltse‘s novel Home Again. Besides directing two episodes of Breaking Bad and seven of Malcolm in the Middle, Cranston also wrote and helmed a feature in 1999 called Last Chance. According to Cranston:
“[It was a] very linear, simple story. Romantic drama. I didn’t know what I was doing, really. [I was] just going on instincts, and some craft. It turned out really cute. I had to stop editing when I ran out of money. We didn’t have a lot of money to start with. We borrowed, we had short ends, and we shot on 35mm. But the process is fantastic. And the storytelling is the same. You’re still being true to that story. And [to telling] a good story.”
Cranston has already adapted Home Again, which was published in 1987 and apparently plans to change the title:
“It’s basically a very strong father-son story, and a murder-mystery. An FBI agent who suddenly quits the department and takes his son and his wife and moves back to his hometown of Cascade, Nebraska, to rekindle family values and pay attention now. He’s been working for the FBI for years, so he’s been home sporadically. And his son is now sixteen, very sensitive, and looks upon his father like sort of a stranger… And then there’s a murder that happens in the little town that they move to, which kills [the father’s] whole stance on, “Things are better in these small towns!” And then things unravel, and basically, the father and son come together at the end and save each other emotionally and literally.”
Cranston’s earlier film, while not currently available on Netflix, has received strong user reviews. Cranston is definitely on a hot streak, and with upcoming roles in Total Recall and World War Z, he’ll soon have all the clout he needs to make his second feature as a director. I’d watch anything he’s involved with, and while his commitment to Breaking Bad will delay things, I’m looking forward to seeing what he does behind the camera.
Are you a fan of Bryan Cranston? Would you see his adaptation of Home Again?