I have mixed feelings when it comes to Paul Haggis. On one hand I seem to enjoy the films he is brought on to do a little light script touch-up on and I even enjoyed Million Dollar Baby quite a bit. However, movies like Crash and The Valley of Elah did very little for me. So, when I hear a new Paul Haggis movie is in the works my radar doesn’t really do much, but attaching Russell Crowe to said project gives it a little weight, which is exactly what Variety is reporting is in the offing.
Word is Crowe and Haggis will come together for the drama The Next Three Days an adaptation of the 2008 French film “Pour Elle” written and to be directed by Haggis for Lionsgate.
In the film Crowe will play a teacher whose wife is arrested and convicted of a murder she says she did not commit. He comes up with a desperate plan to free her.
Haggis told Variety the decision to cast Crowe was based on his ability to thrive as an Everyman who rises when faced with an extraordinary circumstance. He also added that the film explores deeper themes of faith and belief saying, “The deeper theme here is, would you save the woman you loved if you knew that by doing so, you would turn into a man that woman could no longer love?”
Production is scheduled to begin in late September in Pittsburgh.
Crowe is currently shooting Robin Hood with Ridley Scott for a May 14, 2010.
