Paul Weitz‘s career as a director has been an interesting mix of critical hits and purely commercial endeavors. Little Fockers, for example, is surely an example of the latter. But he also has an Oscar nomination to his name, for cleverly adapting Nick Hornby‘s novel into the 2002 hit About a Boy. His next project, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, as reported by The Playlist, appears to be anything but commercial. Described by Weitz himself as “a terrific memoir,” Robert De Niro was sought out when the project was first reported, while Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) just recently replaced Casey Affleck in the co-starring role.
The film will be distributed by Focus Features. A brief summary of the plot reads as follows:
Based on a memoir by Nick Flynn, ‘Suck City’ is about a young man in his twenties (Dano) who works at various homeless shelters in Boston, where he often intersects with his brilliant but troubled and estranged father (De Niro).
Early rumors suggest that filming could begin in early March, though an official confirmation hasn’t been made. Aside from giving Weitz a chance to explore his talents, the film looks like it could really offer De Niro an opportunity to give a noteworthy performance. While he was more than solid alongside Edward Norton in Stone, that film didn’t resonate with the majority. If Weitz‘s project does, though, maybe De Niro — and Dano, for that matter — will find themselves in the Oscar race.
Are you excited for Paul Weitz’s next endeavor?