Showbiz people briefs
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Up-and-coming director Rupert Sanders soon could be working with Leonard DiCaprio and Ridley Scott.
The helmer is in negotiations to direct "The Low Dweller," the dark ex-con drama that DiCaprio's Appian Way and Scott's Scott Free Prods. are producing for Relativity Media.
Brad Ingelsby's script, which has drawn comparisons to "No Country for Old Men," centers on a Midwestern man who gets out of prison only to be haunted and pursued by a figure from his past. Several directors have been associated with the project, which is a high priority for Relativity.
Sanders is best known for his flashy commercials; a piece he directed for the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" video game created a buzz, with the director drawing comparisons to "300" helmer Zack Snyder. Sanders also has helmed well-regarded spots for the "Halo 3" game and Monster.com.
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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Nimrod Antal, the director of the horror film "Vacancy," has been hired to direct "Predators" for 20th Century Fox and producer Robert Rodriguez.
Alex Litvak and Michael Finch have written the script, which the studio is hoping will revive the alien-hunter franchise. The dreadlocked menace, who first appeared in a Central American jungle stalking Arnold Schwarzenegger and friends in 1987, has had two solo features and a pair of matchups with the double-jawed villains of the "Alien" franchise.
The studio and the filmmakers aim to return to the franchise's roots as a character-driven action movie. In this version, a group of humans will find themselves stranded on a planet that's home to Predators.
The new iteration is scheduled for a July 7, 2010, release.
Antal co-wrote and directed the Hungarian mystery thriller "Kontroll" in 2003 and has the heist movie "Armored" coming out through Screen Gems in December.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
