For every movie that makes it to the silver screen, good or bad, there are hundreds that flounder about in “production” or “pre-production”. Pre-production usually means some clown with power has an idea, but has not gotten around to doing much with it.
One of those projects that has been bouncing around Hollywood is The Night Watchman. TNW is an original script by famed noir writer James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential, Black Dahlia).
Originally David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) was going to direct, then Spike Lee (Inside Man, Do The Right Thing)stepped up to take the reigns. Lee then dropped out to tackled Inside Man.
Then Oliver Stone (Platoon, JFK) started talks to direct it with a new script from John Ridley (author of Everybody Smokes in Hell). Stone apparently dropped out because of issues with the script.
So now, it is being reported that David Ayer will not only be directing, but also doing a rewrite of Ellroy’s screenplay. Appartently Ridley’s version of the script is also out the window.
Ayer has previously written the screenplays for Training Day and The Fast and the Furious. This will actually be Ayer’s second time working from Ellroy’s material, as he did the final draft of Dark Blue, which also came from an Elroy original screenplay.
Have you got all that?
The Night Watchman is about a disgraced cop that uncovers corruption in the police force.
As has been the plan from day one, Keanu Reeves will star.
