Larry’s Triple Whammy

Proving that he's not just a pretty face with a pair of pince-nez glasses, Laurence Fishburne is not only assuming the writer's mantle but also taking the director's chair and stepping in front of the camera for his next film, The Alchemist. Adapted from the chart-busting magical tale from Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo, the fable follows the fate of Santiago, an Andalucian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids, promptly packs up his bags and meets the wise alchemist of the title during his adventure-filled journey. Suffice to say, much philosophising about the general meaning of life, talk of understanding omens and chatter about fulfilling dreams is carried out amid vast expanses of desert in North Africa. But it's not the first time the Matrix star has felt compelled to undertake the triple duties of writer, director and star. His 2000 film Once in the Life was based on his own play "Riff Raff" which he directed and starred in at New York's Circle Rep Theatre. Taking on the Matrix and now this. The boy can do it all.