With the success of Pitch Perfect 2, Elizabeth Banks is looking to keep her fledgling directorial career moving. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she’s now in talks to direct young adult adaptation Red Queen for Universal{
Victoria Aveyard’s book, which was published in February as part of a three-book deal, takes place in a world divided by blood colour. Ordinary folk have red, while silver is for those elite types with supernatural abilities. Our focus is on Mare, a 17-year-old who is just about making a living as a thief in a rural village. When a twist of fate leads to her saving the life of one of the royal court, she’s brought before the king and queen – and suddenly starts displaying powers of her own. To keep her under control, the king invents a backstory for her, and has her prepare to marry one of his sons. But she’s caught between worlds as she becomes part of the silver community while helping a rebellion among the reds.
Breaking Bad veteran Gennifer Hutchison, who also works on Better Call Saul, has written the adaptation, and Banks could be a solid choice for the job given her own experiences with the **Hunger Games **films. Given the early stage of development for this one, however, she may not make it her next directing job.
Banks will be back on screens as an actor with Magic Mike XXL, due here on July 3 and is returning to the world of Wet Hot American Summer for Netflix prequel series First Day Of Camp. And then there’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, which will be out on November 20.