Here's a combination of words that we never expected to write: David Mamet is planning to write and direct a new version of The Diary of Anne Frank for Disney. Yes, the guy who wrote Glengarry Glen Ross is working for Disney. The mind boggles.
Mamet's planning a "new take" on the story of Anne Frank, the 15 year-old girl who hid, with her family, in an Amsterdam attic during the Nazi occupation of World War II. This new film will not simply be based on her diary, but also the stage play by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich and Mamet's own take on the story as a "rite of passage" tale.
We're not entirely sure that we're down with the idea of a "new take" on The Diary of Anne Frank, but we're definitely down with the idea of Mamet making any sort of film, and especially one based on such a powerful story.
Mamet's already working on the script, but filming won't start (we guess) for quite some time, as he's also directing his new play Race on Broadway in December. Still, what do you think of the fit between director and material?