A couple of weeks ago it was revealed that Sean Penn was planning to go back behind the camera to direct a movie called Crazy For The Storm and now Variety reports that Penn has found the man he wants to star, trying to recruit his old friend Josh Brolin for the main role.
The movie will be based on Norman Ollestad’s memoir, which centres on the writer’s relationship with his father, who taught him several different skills from a very young age. The plot also focuses on how those traits saved his life, when he was stranded on a mountaintop after surviving a plane crash, so there’s a bit of a thematic link to Penn’s previous directorial effort, Into the Wild, with this one.
Will Fetters is adapting the screenplay, with the plan to shoot early next year once Brolin has completed work on Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake.
Sean Penn is fairly sporadic as a director. He’s helmed four films since 1991, the last being Into The Wild in 2007. Now he’s eyeing a return to the director’s chair, entering negotiations to direct Crazy For The Storm at Warner Bros. He’ll only direct and not star in the drama.
A movie with Kristen Wiig and Robert De Niro, directed by Sean Penn, is certainly an interesting prospect, and it looks like it’s probably going to happen and they’re teaming up for The Comedian, which is slated to start shooting in the spring. Written by Art Linson with Jeffrey Ross, the movie will be produced by Art Linson (Into the Wild), John Linson, Jon Kilik and Robert De Niro. Shannon Costello will be associate producing.