It appears that the very busy Oren Moverman will be adding one more project to his writing/directing slate, a film that originally had Stephen Frears attached to direct. Production Weekly reports that Woody Harrelson & Ben Foster may reunite with their The Messenger director on what could be an explosive commentary/crime drama. From what I’ve picked up on, Moverman has landed on a project that has been set up with Mark Gordon’s production co. and was written by James Ellroy. If my assumptions are correct, Rampart has to do with the LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department that has been in hot water on more than one occasion. My thinking is that this project might be the antithesis of Paul Haggis’ Crash and here is why:
Keeping in mind the tone of Moverman’s debut film, the manner in which Harrelson and Foster were employed and the focus Moverman places on character interactions, and noting that Moverman does have a background in the “forces”, this project may take on a more unpopular POV approach, as Ellroy, the film’s scribe has been according to this wiki mention “an outspoken and unquestioning admirer of the Los Angeles Police Department, and he dismisses the department’s flaws as aberrations, telling the National Review that the coverage of the Rodney King beating and Rampart police scandals were overblown by a biased media”. My thinking is that this won’t be exaggerated Street Kings or Harsh Times blemish in the men in blue, but something of a different sort.
I’ll update this piece as more news trickles in, as I might be completely of track here. What I do know is that Moverman, Harrelson and Foster formed a perfect trio with The Messenger – so if this project does come to fruition it’ll be a must see. Moverman was recently attached to the the Kurt Cobain project, but nothing is confirmed yet as to where he’ll go next.
