| James Gray has signed on to direct The Lost City Of Z, an epic adventure to star Brad Pitt. And if you’re thinking that doesn’t compute, that’s because the words ‘epic adventure’ and ‘director James Gray’ don’t tend to go together. Gray has made his name with intimate dramas like The Yards, We Own The Night and Two Lovers, but he’s keen to branch out into a bigger arena. The Lost City Of Z should provide him ample opportunity. Based on a non-fiction book by New Yorker writer David Grann, the novel and film will follow the fortunes of Percy Fawcett, a Victorian-era British spy and soldier who became obsessed with exploring the Amazon in search of Z, an advanced civilisation he was convinced lived in the jungle. In 1925, Fawcett and his son headed off on an expedition in search of Z – and were never seen again. It’s a story with immense movie potential, whichever way you want to spin it. It could be the larger-than-life and ultimately tragic tale of a true dreamer who bit off more than he could chew. Or maybe, just maybe, Pitt and Gray might spin the tale into the realms of speculation: did Fawcett find Z? And what happened when he did? Grann’s book won’t be published until April, but the ‘non-fiction’ tag means that flights of fancy are probably kept to a minimum, sadly, but you never know... Pitt will also produce the movie, which was acquired by Paramount for his company, Plan B, back in April (Pitt is also producing World War Z – is there some Z-based obsession we don’t know about?). But Gray’s hiring means that the project can move ahead.
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