At some point most actors seem to decide that they want to give directing a try, and now it’s Jonah Hill’s turn, as Deadline reports that he’s set to make his directorial debut with The Kitchen Sink for Sony Pictures.
Oren Uziel wrote the script, which landed on the 2010 Black List of best unproduced screenplays. The film is about a group of teenagers – who happen to be a vampire, a zombie and a human – who band together to fight off the aliens attacking their town. The title refers to Uziel throwing in every popular movie monster into this coming-of-age story. Don’t be suprised if the name changes before it gets to cinemas though.
Matthew Tolmach is attached to produce and he had this to say about the story, “I love high school movies, and sparked to the authenticity of these characters. It’s more in the spirit of The Breakfast Club than anything, but you get an idea of the title in an early scene where two kids are running from zombies. Those zombies suddenly are attacked by vampires. Just when they are all facing off, there’s a bright light overhead. You realize the aliens have landed and these groups have to band together, suppress the urge to kill each other, and it becomes thematically the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That makes it different than your usual zombie, vampire, or alien movie. I know from experience how quickly scripts either get bought or not, and it often has no bearing on whether they’re good or not. This one is like the talented kid passed over in the first round of the draft. Thank goodness for the Black List.”
Sony seems pretty keen on Hill at the moment, as they’re backing his adaptation of the TV show 21 Jump Street, he’s starring in Moneyball opposite Brad Pitt for them, and now they’re letting him direct. It seems the studio reckons Jonah’s one to watch, and so are keeping him happy.