"Wackness" director lines up a pair of thrillers

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Jonathan Levine, whose upcoming comedy-drama "The Wackness" features an infamous kiss between Ben Kingsley and Mary-Kate Olsen, has set up two new projects.

He will write and direct "Positive," a romantic thriller set on Martha's Vineyard. He's also penning the screenplay for "Echelon Vendetta," an espionage thriller based on David Stone's novel; the project has been set up at Sony.

"Positive" centers on a twentysomething who takes a trip to visit his fiancee's family off the coast of Massachusetts only to be seduced by her younger sister. The indie film is aiming for a mid-2009 start date.

"Vendetta" centers on a "cleaner," a CIA operative in charge of keeping dirty laundry from being aired in public, who after the death of a friend begins to investigate the mysterious deaths of several agents.

Levine has concentrated on indie projects, but said he'd like to strike a balance between studio and indie gigs. "I want to have a lot of the creative freedom that comes from (indie films), but I also don't want to be broke," he joked.

"Wackness," which Sony Pictures Classics opens this weekend, examines a teenager coming of age in New York circa 1994. It scored audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and at the recent Los Angeles Film Festival.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter