Paul Feig to Direct ‘The Italian Job’ Sequel for Paramount

Wait, what? According to Deadline, Paul Feig is going to direct an “Italian Job” sequel for Paramount. No word yet on cast returns. A writer is supposed to be hired soon for the script.

I thought “The Italian Job,” released in 2003, which was itself a remake of the 1969 Michael Caine-starring British film, was a lot of fun. You had Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton.

The 2003 film, directed by the underrated F. Gary Gray, revolved around robbers’ escaping in Mini Coopers before the inevitable double-crossing took place — it was a slick heist movie that paved the way for other slick heist movies. It did well at the box office, grossing $176M worldwide.

Feig is coming off “The Housemaid,” which was a huge $400M success, and a sequel is being shot this year for it. He’s the director of such hits as “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat,” “A Simple Favor,” and “Spy,” and prior to this December’s “The Housemaid,” which has so far racked up $200M worldwide, it had been almost a decade since he last had a hit. Never count him out.