After Night at the Museum made approximately a bajillion dollars worldwide (what? We said approximately), it was clear that director Shawn Levy could pretty much do whatever he wanted as his next film. After all, this is the man who managed to make Cheaper By The Dozen, Big Fat Liar and The Pink Panther remake and still have a career. But, much to our surprise, after six months of planning big franchise movies, it looks like he's changing course with his next film, The Way Back.
Described as a "coming of age dramedy" (stick with us) and an "edgy, character-driven" story, The Way Back tells the story of a teenage boy who forms an unlikely friendship with the man in charge of a local water-park, which in turn leads him to reconnect with his mother and stand up to his bullying stepfather.
Now we'll be honest - that doesn't sound very edgy to us (although by Levy's vanilla standards it probably qualifies) but if it's a decent script and they get a decent cast, there's nothing inherently wrong with the premise. And there is some indication that the script, by the intriguingly named Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, may have what it takes.
Why? Well, three weeks ago neither Levy nor Fox had heard of the story - Levy picked it from a pile he'd been sent, read it, loved it, and sent it straight over to Fox Searchlight as soon as he read it, where it was promptly greenlit. Shooting is now due to start in mid-June, which makes it one of the fastest-off-the-ground projects in living memory.
That means that this will be Levy's next project, filling a gap before the Cruise-Stiller pairing of The Hardy Men and his planned fantasy project The Seems. So let's hope it really is a change of pace, and that this guy can do more than so-so comedies - although if he casts Steve Martin as the water park manager, it darn well better be a straight role.