http://chud.com/nextraimages/LenWiseman2.jpgLook, I
understand Live Free or Die Hard is doing well and may, in fact, go on to
be the biggest earner of the franchise. I get that. But are people really
chalking this up to the sterling direction of Len Wiseman? Did they take his
name off the embarrassingly bad Underworld flicks? The answer
appears to be “yes” as this guy’s now getting his choice of big budget projects
to mangle. And according to IESB, the good people reportedly giving him this
choice: New Line Cinema.

As has
been noted here on CHUD before, New Line is a studio in need of some big hits.
While they’ve had some mid-range successes, the days o’ filthy LOTR lucre
are long ago. They’ve set up two projects with the potential to hit the mark –
the Escape
From New York
remake and the adaptation of Gears of War – and both
are merely scripts at this point. But both films would require an inventive
helmer with a unique visual sensibility to make the material come alive.

Nowhere
in that paragraph will you find a reason why Len Wiseman is being considered
for not one, both films. It’s an odd
measure being that both are tentatively scheduled for 2009 release, but I
suppose his one virtue thus far has been bringing films in on time and within
budget. Still, getting the films out in short order does no good if they’re
crap, but his profitable run at the box office will do a lot to make the execs
forget that.