Update: It's hardly a surprise that, given he's been talking to McCarthy practically since the script hit, Ridley Scott is offically on board for The Counsellor. He's looking to get the thing made within months and has apparently been hitting up Prometheus' so-hot-right-now Michael Fassbender to play the lead. Nothing is set yet, but it's looking good...
A mere two weeks ago, No Country For Old Men author Cormac McCarthy surprised the film world by delivering a script called** The Counsellor** (instead of handing in his most recent book manuscript). We said at the time that we fully expected directors to come running to tackle the project and Ridley Scott was quicker than the rest, entering talks to make it his next film.
If he does direct the movie, it’ll be very different from Prometheus, which he’s busy finishing right now. The Counsellor focuses on a respected lawyer who foolishly thinks he can dabble in the drug business without being sucked into the criminal vortex. Bad move! He’s soon in a desperate situation and relying on his wits and legal smarts to survive.
That sound you can hear is all the other options that Scott has been considering as his follow-up to the sci-fi epic crying out in frustration. Right now there are a few scripts competing for his attention, including a Gertrude Bell biopic and Child 44 over at Summit.
But McCarthy is a special case, and Sir Ridley apparently has been discussing the idea with him directly, so it’s not that surprising he’d get first dibs. After all, he tried long and hard to make Blood Meridian, from McCarthy's book, a few years back. There’s no studio attached just yet, but we’re betting executives are salivating at the thought of nabbing the package that contains both those big names.
**Prometheus **will attack our screens on June 1.