While best known for appearing in Charlie’s Angels and Mulholland Drive (as well as being Louis Theroux’s cousin), Justin Theroux added another string to his bow last year as co-writer of the hit comedy Tropic Thunder. Well he’s now taking that even further by signing up to direct Universal and Imagine Entertainment’s Chief Ron.
The film is loosely based on the life of the blond-haired, blue-eyed Chief Ron Roberts, who claimed native American heritage so he could open a casino in upstate New York (several US states ban gambling, with the exception of allowing native Americans to run casinos). However, while Ron Roberts turned out to be the real deal and won his court case when the state questioned his ancestry, Chief Ron will focus on a conman who lies about his roots in order to get a gambling license.
It’ll be interesting to see what Theroux does with the film, as he’s a bit of odd character who seem to flit between broad comedy and utter intensity with little in between. Sounds like it could be quite a fun idea for a film though.