Ron Howard Attached To Direct ‘Spy Vs. Spy’
IsThe Dark Towerin danger of dying? It looked like thatmight be the casenot long ago, but Universal asked for somescript changes and budget cuts, which directorRon Howardrecently said werenot terribly deep or radical. The project looked like it might be able toshoot next spring.
But last night we heard that Ron Howard wasattached to directthe Formula One movieRushthat hopes to shoot this year. That didn’t have to meanThe Dark Towerwas dead, as he could (conceivably, if not easily) make that film whileBrian GrazerandAkiva Goldsmanprepped the Stephen King adaptation this fall.
But now Ron Howard is also attached to a film version of the classicMad MagazinestripSpy Vs. Spy, and his name is also being thrown around in conjunction to a version ofFrankensteinthatMax Landisis writing for Fox, which reportedly tells the story from Igor’s point of view. It looks likeFrankensteinis not a film that he’ll direct, but the talk in general seems to imply thatThe Dark Towermight fall.
Varietybroke the news that Max Landis has aFrankensteinscript, albeit without the mention of any storyline, and also saying that Ron Howard was interested, but seems unlikely to make the film, based on the prospects ofThe Dark TowerandRush. (He and Max Landis are alsodeveloping a filmcalledAmnesty.) That report says thatPaul GreengrassandDavid Yateshave been viewed as potential directors forFrankenstein, but nothing is set.Vultureadds the detail about Igor’s point of view for Frankeinstein, and the observation/speculation that projects being thrown at Ron Howard means the future isn’t looking good forThe Dark Tower.Deadlineadds talk aboutSpy Vs. Spy, which will be written byJohn Kamps, withDavid Koeppoverseeing. (That’s the same arrangement that led to the script forPremium Rush, which Mr. Koepp just directed.)Spy Vs. Spyhas been developed more than once before, though only video game and animated TV versions have ever materialized. If successful, this version will be “a physical and highly visual action comedy with two spies going mano a mano in ruthless fashion.”
Perhaps the biggest detail from the Deadline report is that Mike Fleming says that Imagine Entertainment would takeThe Dark Towerto other studios if Universal decides not to make the first film, with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer saying “in no uncertain terms they are determined to makeThe Dark Towerearly next year.” Whether that is a sort of spin/damage control or genuine intent is difficult to figure out now.
