From Eastwood to Clooney, from Allen to Affleck, many an actor has made the leap from in front to behind the camera. Now, Russell Crowe hopes to make his own mark in the director’s seat, signing on to helm a biopic on the life of the late American comedian Bill Hicks. [Daily Telegraph]
Hicks, a man known for his dark comedic touch, died of pancreatic cancer at 32 in 1994. Crowe was previously announced as the lead but will now be the man behind the camera. The film will be Crowe‘s first full-length film as a director, having previously only directed short films and video clips for his wife Danielle Spencer. Crowe‘s old schoolmate Mark Staufer also wrote the script, with production expected to start next year. The film is still looking for its star so stay tuned.
Staufer, on the script and on Crowe as a director:
“Bill Hicks’ life is tragically short, but spectacularly interesting […] The screenplay has gone through a number of drafts and we’ll go into production early next year. […] It is a huge role for someone, made all the more special, or downright scary, by the fact the director is an Oscar-winning actor like Russell.”
Crowe is an actor who loves to dabble in a little bit of everything, a known sports fan, philanthropist, and musician/recording artist, having sold out concert venues in Australia with his band amongst other pursuits. It makes a lot of sense that he would join other actor-turned-directors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt this year and begin a foray in feature film directing. A biopic on Hicks is an unusual choice, so I’ll hold out judgment until I hear more about the production. But after spending years watching Crowe act his way through award after award, I’m certainly excited to see what he can do from the director’s chair.
What do you think of the subject matter for Crowe’s first feature directing effort?