Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher) is continuing to collect credentials behind his name – dancer, actor, writer, producer, and now, director. Both Tatum and his frequent producer/writer collaborator, Reid Carolin (Magic Mike), will debut their joint directorial skills with Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. According to Deadline, scribe Mike Vukadinovich is now attached to adapt the screenplay, based on Matthew Quick’s (The Silver Linings Playbook) YA novel about a high school kid whose 18th birthday present to himself is a murder-suicide. He plans to kill his former best friend and then himself as a solution to his problems. Tatum may also appear in front of the screen, playing a courageous teacher who tries to intervene.
Vukadinovich, who wrote the original screenplay for the in-development Pinnochio prequel at Fox, The Three Misfortunes of Gepetto, has several irons in the fire. He is set to write Garbage Pail Kids and is also in talks to write Pete Candeland’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which is currently in development at Disney. Pete and Goat, his independent film project to be directed by Mark Palansky (Penelope), has Amanda Seyfried (Pan, While We’re Young) and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek franchise, Green Room) attached to star. Another one of his indie projects, The Do Over, has Will Graham (TV’s The Jesse Miller Show) attached to direct.
Tatum will be seen next in Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated The Hateful Eight, which will bow on January 8, 2016. Also in the works are starring role in Gambit, planned for release in October 2016, and 23 Jump Street, the action-comedy sequel co-starring Jonah Hill which follows 21 and 22 Jump Street.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is backed by The Weinstein Company and Tatum’s Free Association label.
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