Way back when – well, 2011, so not exactly the Cretaceous period – Whiplash and La La Land's Damien Chazelle was known for his script work and one film. Now, of course, things are very different, but a screenplay he had floating around then is of course a hot commodity and Ericson Core has signed on to direct The Claim.
We can only presume that Chazelle handed this one off to focus on other things (he's getting ready to make Neil Armstrong biopic First Man with Ryan Gosling), or that the producers who nabbed The Claim have now decided it can get made more easily thanks to its writer's reputation.
Regardless, Core (surely the most action director name out there) is now on to make the thriller, which finds a single father looking to divest himself of the criminal sins of his past while having to battle the mysterious claims of a couple who claim his kidnapped daughter is theirs. "Ericson has an inimitable level of skill behind the camera as a director and cinematographer," says producer Scott Clayton. "Under his masterful direction and keen eye for captivating storytelling, and Chazelle’s gripping screenplay, The Claim has all the elements to be a powerful and enthralling theatrical experience." No one mention 2016's Point Break remake!
It's too early for the thriller to notch a release date, but First Man will be with us on 2 November next year.