James Cameron & Kevin Smith - two very different directors with huge fanbases have both announced upcoming projects for themselves in Variety this week.
First up Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment is teaming with his regular film distributor 20th Century Fox a new epic feature - the two companies have optioned the film rights to Charles Pellegrino's non-ficiton book "Ghosts of Vesuvius". Cameron will produce and may direct though is waiting to make his decision.
The film itself will be a fictional look at the lives of citizens of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii - many of whom were caught in the famous real life eruption of the nearby volcano Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. which killed a massive amount of the population and swallowed the city itself which was uncovered centuries later.
Meanwhile "Clerks", "Chasing Amy" director Kevin Smith is heading into big budget mainstream territory with his next film after the upcoming Ben Affleck comedy/drama "Jersey Girl". Smith will write and direct an adaptation of the famed radio serial hero "The Green Hornet".
'Hornet' is best remembered for its 1960's TV series incarnation which starred Van Williams as the millionaire publisher who moonlights as a crime fighter, and a then unknown Bruce Lee as kung-fu-fighting chauffeur sidekick Kato. The film property was picked up by Miramax two years ago from Universal, and Smith expects to have a script ready in time to begin shooting scenes by late Summer.
One of the big reasons Smith, whose worked as a comic book writer himself, was drawn to the project is that unlike other fandoms this is one that while the main characters are known names, little else is remembered about their fandoms and thus it avoids being shackled with honoring many of the origin elements like say the "Superman" or "Batman" properties are.
Thanks to 'KarlChilders'
