Gary Ross in Talks to Helm ‘Peter and the Starcatchers’

When Gary Ross unexpectedly turned down the opportunity to direct The Hunger Games sequel Cathching Fire, many in the industry thought he was nuts.  Perhaps he is, but at least it appears he did have something else he was interested in.  According to THR, Ross is in serious negotiations to helm Disney’s Peter and the Starcatchers, a prequel story of Peter Pan.  It will be based on the same-name novel written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson that was published in 2004 by Disney’s Hyperion Books.

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'Hunger Games' Director Lands on Feet, Plans Houdini Next

Everyone seemed shocked when director Gary Ross walked away from The Hunger Games franchise and the opportunity to helm the sequel Catching Fire, after the hit film shattered box office records.  Now some other lucky S.O.B gets that sweet gig.  We haven't seen the last of Ross, however, as he's entered talks with Summit Entertainment to direct a Houdini biopic, THR reports.

I guess if you can't make a film about kids killing one another for entertainment, death defying magic acts peformed by the world's most famous escape artist might be the next best thing. 

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Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Gary Ross 'Catching Fire' Dilemma

Oh Gary Ross, what to do, what to do?  So, you’ve directed this little movie called the Hunger Games that after 2 weeks has made a little over $300 million.  The sequel, aptly titled Catching Fire, is due to start production in a few months.  You, it has been reported, have been working with the screenwriter on the script for said sequel and it seemed as if everything was in place for you to come back as director.  Or are you?

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Matt Damon in Talks to Play Bobby Kennedy

Here's a pretty good cluster of movie stuff: A Bobby Kennedy bio starring Matt Damon and directed by Gary Ross. It's close to happening, so says Deadline, with the only stumbling block being the unwritten script, which Damon could ultimately turn down.

The movie would be based on Robert Kennedy: His Life, the biography by Evan Thomas. It's been optioned by Landscape Entertainment, and this would represent a swift step forward for the production company responsible for John Tucker Must Die, Sleepover, and very little else. As you might expect, "The film will trace RFK's transformation from the younger brother in the shadow brother President John F. Kennedy to a strong national leader in his own right before he was gunned down in 1968."

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Gary Ross May Helm 'Matt Helm' Before 'Venom'

Last week, I made an off-hand comment that I'd like to see writer-director Gary Ross work more often. I mean, Pleasantville and Seabiscuit are the only films he's directed, even though he has a couple other projects down the road a piece. He's been linked to Venom, the Spider-Man spin-off he would tackle after writing the script for Spider-Man 4, and now he might take on another hot property.

The Playlist writes that Ross may take over the director's chair for Matt Helm, which was at the center of the messy Spielberg-DreamWorks-Paramount fallout earlier this year. Spielberg was supposed to direct it for Paramount, but the studio won't let him go near its new Bournesque franchise. Matt Helm will be based on the Cold War spy novels by Donald Hamilton, updated to gravy train the way James Bond did. And Ross might be directing the suddenly hot Bradley Cooper, an actor studios have suddenly started circling for future franchise opportunities.

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