The last time Tommy Lee Jones sat in the director’s chair, the result was the significant but under-loved Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada– so when he is approached to direct a new project, my ears perk up.
Jones is currently in talks to direct The Lincoln Lawyer for Lakeshore Entertainment as well as appear in an unspecified role, or so reports THR’s Risky Biz Blog. The film will be an adaptation of the first novel in Michael Connelly’s “Mickey Haller” series, a spin-off from his more famous “Harry Bosch” books (which gained some fame when Clinton was spotted buying one of them during his presidency). Mickey Haller is a lawyer who operates in LA entirely out of a Lincoln Town Car, chauffeured around by an indebted client.
Matthew McConaughey will be leading the film, but if Jones steps into an acting role, as well as the directing position, it’s unknown what part he might take. The story revolves around a client of Haller’s that lives in Beverly Hills, but having not read the book, it would seem just as likely that Jones could play Mickey’s chauffeur.
The tone of this film is likely to be a few steps removed from the somber western notes of Melquiades Estrada, but Jones proved his sure hand with that film, and I’m eager to see how he handles lighter fare.