Possible ‘Thor 2’ Director Brian Kirk Circling Tom Cruise Project ‘Paper Wings’
Brian Kirkhasn’t totally sealed the deal forThor 2just yet, but he’s eyeing another new project that could come afterward. Kirk has entered talks to direct a rodeo romance titledPaper Wings, whichTom Cruiseis developing and will probably star in. WriterLeslie Bohem(Dante’s Peak) and producerMarty Boweninitially developed the idea in 2005, and set the film up at New Line in 2006, but progress has been slow-going since then. The talks with Kirk are the first new development since atable readlast year with potential stars Cruise,Will Smith,Anna Kendrick, and others. Read more after the jump.
Last year’s table read includedMilo Ventimiglia,Chad Michael Murray,Eric Dane,Tate Donovan,Tom Skerritt,Tom Arnold,Johnny Galecki, andJenna Elfmanin addition to Cruise, Smith, and Kendrick. Aside from Cruise, none of the actors were actually attached at the time, but if you feel like speculating on who else might star, that list seems as good a place to start guessing as any.
Kirk would be replacingGabriele Muccino(The Pursuit of Happyness), who was attached to the project last year. Muccino was himself a replacement forCharles Stone(Drumline), who was originally set to direct in 2006. Cruise reportedly played a part in selecting Kirk to helm, and will be working with Kirk on the script.
Though Kirk has few feature films on his resume, he’s had plenty of success on the small screen. Kirk’s recent jobs include episodes ofBoardwalk Empire,Dexter,Luther, andGame of Thrones. AlthoughVarietydoesn’t mention when Kirk would fitPaper Wingsinto his schedule, it seems unlikely that he’d be able to fit it in beforeThor 2, which is set for a July 18, 2025 opening.
Discuss:Is Kirk a good choice to directPaper Wings? Do you buy Cruise as a rodeo cowboy?
