Neil LaBute, fresh from his triumph with The Wicker Man remake, and Ashton Kutcher, fresh from his triumph at, erm, something, are in talks to direct and star in the thriller Lakeview Terrace.
The movie, which promises to deal with the hottest of hot potatoes – racism (underline, bold, italicise) – has already had Samuel L. Jackson and the very lovely Kerry Washington on board for a couple of weeks now, but with the addition of LaBute and the mega-talented Punk’d guru, all the pieces are falling into place.
Perhaps we’re getting a little too cynical, and probably unjustifiably so. After all, until The Wicker Man, LaBute has proven himself one of America’s most intelligent directors, and his big brain might be just the thing to elevate Lakeview Heights beyond the realm of standard psycho-thriller.
Certainly, the plot promises controversy aplenty, with Jackson playing the psychotic LAPD officer who mounts a terrifying campaign against his new neighbours, a mixed-race couple (Washington and Kutcher).
Obviously, memories of films such as Pacific Heights and Unlawful Entry are stirred by such a plot, but normally you would expect the racist cop to be a white guy, so it’ll be interesting to see how LaBute handles the shifting racial politics in Lakeview Terrace – which, intriguingly, is produced by Will Smith and his producing partner, James Lassiter.
Filming will start in Los Angeles in June.