If you’re like me, then finding the words French and heist and movie all in the same sentence is something to get excited about. The films of Jules Dassin and Jean-Pierre Melville will likely come to mind. Well, today finds us with a double dose of French heist movie news.
For starters, Playlist is reporting that The Incredible Hulk‘s Louis Leterrier has quickly rebounded after getting passed over for the James Cameron produced Fantastic Voyage remake (that gig went to Shawn Levy). He has signed on to direct a script from Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt called Now You See Me, which tells the high-concept tale of a FBI task force’s game of cat-and-mouse with a super-team of – wait for it – the world’s greatest illusionists! The illusionists pull off a series of crazy bank heists during their performances, then shower loot onto their audiences (???). There is currently no reason to assume this movie will be good, but the concept alone is just bonkers enough that it seems like it should be Sunday afternoon fun, even if it turns out shit.
In other news, and speaking of Melville: Deadline is reporting that Jaume Collet-Serra, director of Liam Neeson’s Unknown (aka, Taken 2.0), is planning to direct Red Circle, a remake of Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic 1970 heist film, Le Cercle Rouge. The script will be adapted by Steven Knight (Eastern Promises), which is enough to get me interested, and at least shows that they’re moving in an appropriate direction. Deadline makes no comment about the previous incarnation of this project, which was to star Orlando Bloom and be helmed by Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To. Oddly enough, Liam Neeson was supposedly to co-star in that film. I wonder if Collet-Serra will hit him up for his film. Red Circle (which will be shot in Hong Kong) is next up for Collet-Serra, after he directs the pilot for The River, an ABC series thriller from Paranormal Activity‘s Oren Peli.