UPDATE: According to The InSneider, none other than John Turturro has joined the cast, replacing Peter Sarsgaard, who seemingly had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. Between this and the glowing reviews he recently garnered for “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” are we about to witness a Turturro-naissance?
UPDATE: According to The InSneider, Paul Rudd, and Paul Giamatti are rumored to star in McCarthy’s film, which is currently titled “The Statement.”
EARLIER: Tom McCarthy is a filmmaker we haven’t heard from in a while. It’s been five years since “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon, premiered at Cannes to so-so reviews. McCarthy has since kept a low profile, seeing potential projects fall through, but he now appears to have found something concrete.
McCarthy (“Spotlight”) has set up his next film at Sony Pictures Classics. It’s untitled but is set to start production in early February. McCarthy co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bidegan and Noé Debré, based on Nathaniel Rich’s book “Losing Earth,” described as a “dramatic, darkly comic, true story” that chronicles the period when the climate change debate began.
At a beachside resort in Florida in 1980, twenty experts gather for a weekend conference on a global issue that is starting to gain traction: the effects of CO₂ emissions on the climate. This group of scientists, activists, and policymakers have one simple mandate from Congress — write a statement about what to do. Easier said than done.
McCarthy, an actor-turned-director, of course helmed the 2015 Oscar winner “Spotlight,” and also directed three indie gems: “The Station Agent,” “The Visitor,” and “Win Win.” The lone misstep in his filmography remains the Adam Sandler–starring “The Cobbler.”
So there's a script. That's something. It looks as though “The Movie Critic” really is dead and buried, and that this is a brand-new project, and title, but the premise is unknown.