After a relatively quiet 2011 (at least on the release front), Matt Damon was back in the public eye this summer with his turn in the Steven Soderbergh HBO film Behind the Candelabra, in which he plays Scott Thorson, Liberace’s young lover, and more recently, his role in the sci-fi film Elysium. Now it looks like he’ll be making another big career move – stepping behind the camera. He is attached to direct and star in an international conspiracy thriller called A Foreigner.
The project will be Damon’s directorial debut. The script was written by Oscar-winner Chris Terrio, who wrote the screenplay for Argo, the Oscar-winner directed by Damon’s buddy Ben Affleck in 2012. Terrio adapted The New Yorker article “A Murder Foretold,” written by David Grann, for the film. Grann’s work is not new in Hollywood. Another one of his articles, “True Crimes,” is currently being made into a film by Brett Ratner and John Cheng of Rat Entertainment, while Christoph Waltz is set to star. This particular story follows a man that is gunned down in Guatemala, leaving behind a video tape that incriminates the president and the first lady.
The movie is being produced by Film Rite’s Steve Zaillian and Garrett Basch.
In a separate bit of Damon-centric news, and not anything to do with Robin, Aquaman, or the Martian Manhunter, The Playlist is reporting that he’s signed on for a minor role in Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s next picture which stars an impressive ensemble led by Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain. No details are being released as to the nature of the part, but Damon will be present for only about a tenth of the entire shoot. Interstellar is currently shooting, and Paramount is planning a release for November of next year.