Tommy Lee Jones and Ice Cube to Star in Brian Helgeland’s ‘Outside Man’

Hat tip to JoBlo for the image above.

What an odd pairing, and yet so much potential. Oscar-winning filmmaker Brian Helgeland will write and direct “Outside Man,” a new project from Teton Ridge Entertainment starring Ice Cube and Tommy Lee Jones.

I’m sold on this pairing. A classic odd-couple scenario. Cube’s laid-back, intimidating cool playing against Jones’ bone-dry wit and gruffness. Put them together and you can already imagine the rhythm. Now, is the script any good?

The story follows a former Chicago mob enforcer (Cube) who, after leaving prison, retreats to rural Texas and works for a retired Texas Ranger and skilled craftsman (Jones), forming an unlikely friendship.

The package has just hit the market and is already attracting buyer interest, marking a reunion between Jones and Helgeland following their collaboration on “Finest Kind.”

Now, “Finest Kind” was not good, overcooked, but Helgeland is an expert screenwriter, having penned the scripts for “L.A. Confidential,” “Mystic River,” and “Man on Fire.” His directorial output has been shakier, but he’s still helmed “Payback,” “A Knight’s Tale,” and “42,” with his other works being “The Order,” “Legend,” and “Finest Kind.”

As for Jones, at this stage in his career, he brings the presence of a true screen legend who can elevate material through sheer force of presence. Now in his later years, he carries decades of memorable performances — from “The Fugitive,” to “Men in Black,” to “Lincoln,” the weathered man of “No Country for Old Men,” and his intense Clay Shaw in “JFK.” A legend.