Joel Silver – the uber-producer who has overseen some of the greatest action movies of all time, from **Die Hard **to The Matrix – has never lacked conviction. And now he won’t lack Conviction, a heist movie he’ll produce for Warner Bros.
Based on a script by first-time writer Jonathan Herman, the movie will revolve around a mastermind thief who goes to prison following a botched job. Then an FBI agent puts the squeeze on him, forcing him to set up his former protégé, who’s currently working on a massive score...
Intriguing. Like hitman movies, heist pics are a very popular subdivision of the crime genre, but they’re notoriously difficult to get right, while originality can sometimes be an issue. But we’ve got a good feeling about this one.
After all, Silver has one heck of a track record. And, even if he has never really produced a heist movie before (Hudson Hawk is as close as he’s ever come, while Die Hard and Swordfish both have heist elements), Conviction, which insiders are comparing to Heat and Donnie Brasco, sounds like it could be a good place to start.
Silver will produce for WB and Silver Pictures along with Andrew Rona.