Butler's Script Sale of the Week...
January 6th, 2001
Well, TRON 2.0 looked like the early favorite, but the gong is going to have to go to the Neil Jordan/Nick Nolte remake, DOUBLE DOWN, which came in just under the wire.
DOUBLE DOWN is one of two projects announced this week that are remakes of films by the late French writer/director Jean-Pierre Melville. The other being THE RED CIRCLE which Brett Ratner (THE FAMILY MAN, RUSH HOUR) will helm. I've never seen any of Melville's films but apparently he was a master of suspense and narrative structure, often times using dialogue free scenes to intriguingly and successfully advance the story. This is one of the reasons DOUBLE DOWN is the pick over RED CIRCLE. Neil Jordan, as long as he doesn't stray into IN DREAMS mode, is far more able to handle Melville's material than Ratner. No knock on Brett, of course. It is still early in his career and he could surprise us all some day. But Jordan, like Melville, is a writer/director and he has the cinematic track record that brings high expectations to a project like this. Oh, yeah, and Nick Nolte's attached, too.
DOUBLE DOWN, which will be a remake of Melville's BOB LE FLAMBEUR (BOB THE GAMBLER), concerns an aging gangster and gambler (Bob, in the original) who, finding himself broke, decides to pull off a heist at a large casino located in a French seaside resort. Problems arise when the cops are tipped off. That and Bob just can't resist the lure of the casino. Some consider BOB LE FLAMBEUR one of the first great caper/heist flicks. But apparently the film is also a character study as Melville examines in depth Bob's and the other thieves' motives for pulling off the job.
Sounds like a perfect vehicle for Jordan and with Nolte along to flesh Bob out this is one that we'll be keeping our eyes on. And if anyone knows what has sparked Hollywood's sudden interest in Melville, drop us an email.
More Script Sales ...
-- Edward
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