I’m not entirely sure why Paul Greengrass signs up to direct films, as he has an almost unerring ability to leave them before they go into production. Late last year he jumped ship from Bourne IV, causing Matt Damon to also leave, derailing the entire thing (although it’s now looking likely that Universal will try and mount a non-Damon starring prequel). He then went into talks last month to helm the James Cameron produced remake of Fantastic Voyage.
However according to Deadline, he’s now dumped that as well. Apparently he never fully committed to the film and left before a deal was done, which means Cameron’s now going to have to find another director. To be honest, that may not be such a bad thing, as many wondered whether the lover of shaky cam would do well with such an effects heavy project, especially as Fantastic Voyage is due to be made in 3D.
Now it seems Greengrass may be moving towards making a stylised version of Treasure Island, which Sherlock Holmes producer Lion Wigram is working on for Warner Bros (this is separate from another Treasure Island movie being planned by Ecosse Films). However this movie is a long way off, as while Fantastic Voyage already has a script, Treasure Island doesn’t even have a writer.
To be honest, while being picky and jumping around between projects is fine while you’re a big fish in Hollywood, Greengrass needs to be careful, as after the failure of Green Zone, there will undoubtedly be those wondering whether his magic touch only extends to Bourne flicks, so he could do with getting another hit in the bag.