14 DAY TRIAL // Joel and Ethan Coen are known to the movie enthusiast community as a pair of top notch storytellers and filmmakers, which is why their addition to a project that includes Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks makes for exciting news.
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the brothers have come onboard to write the screenplay that will tell the true story of James Donovan, an attorney who saw himself thrown into the Cold War between the American and Russian secret services when negotiating with the KGB the release of a downed U-2 spy plane pilot.
The pilot's name was Gay Powers, and the story is set to take place in 1960s Russia. The script has already been completed and it was penned by Matt Charman, leaving only the screenplay to be completed and a director to be assigned to the project to open the door to casting and then letting the cameras roll.
The project began last year, but it only picked up in momentum after Tom Hank's name became attached to it. The momentum is further boosted by the Coen brothers. The spy thriller could become Spielberg's next big project and even begin shooting as early as September in Europe.
Sadly, Spielberg has a number of films fighting to get his attention at the moment. There's “Robocalypse” from Fox Studios, “Montezuma,” telling the story of the famous Spanish conquistador, as well as an yet unnamed religious period drama set up by DreamWorks and the Weinstein Company.
Usually, the Coen brothers don't write for movie they don't direct themselves, but lately they have been breaking that rule, as they did with Angelina Jolie's WW2 drama “Unbroken.” All of them have previously worked together in different combinations in several projects.
Tom Hanks and the Coen brothers have worked together on 2004 “The Ladykillers,” while Spielberg and Hanks have several big projects completed with titles such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Terminal” and “Catch Me If You Can” for reference.
The two Coen brothers are known for quality screenplays, having won Oscars for their participation in projects like “No Country for Old Men” and “Fargo” as screenplay writers. Their latest film, “Inside Llewyn Davis” managed to sparks critical acclaim and even grab some Oscar nominations in the process.
So, the premise for a good movie is there, perhaps one that could turn out as well as, if not better than last year's spy drama “Argo” with Ben Affleck's participation.