A quick glance at the CV of sibling directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, would show you that their last film, 2006’s You, Me And Dupree is the odd one out, following, as it did, low-budget indie fare like Welcome To Collinwood and 1997’s Pieces.
And their experience on the studio comedy must have been a good one, for they’ve spent the last couple of years immersed in research on their next movie, which will see them return to their roots.
Ciudad – which is Portuguese for ‘City’ and Scottish for ‘Now look here, father’ – will be based on an upcoming Omni Comics book that the pair are writing along with Ande Parks.
A dark thriller, it tells the tale of a hostage negotiator who travels to Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este – one of the most dangerous places on Earth (imagine a Camden where it’s always 3am on a Saturday) – to rescue a kidnap victim.
But this will be no Proof Of Life, thank Christ. For the brothers Russo have thrown themselves into their research, visiting Johannesburg and other gritty cities to get a feel for the more squalid elements of their story. They plan to visit Ciudad del Este soon. Let’s hope they’ve made plans to get out.
If all goes well, the comic book will be on shelves in 2009, and filming will start on the movie soon after that. Good luck, lads!