Actor-turned-director story numero dos of the day: Although this won’t be his first stint behind the camera, Michael Keaton’s career is continuing to take interesting new twists and turns. Keaton is now lining up to take over directing duties on indie pic Buttercup.
Alice O’Neil wrote the script, which sees a grown woman forced to take responsibility for her elderly father after his latest drunk driving arrest. Despite his obvious problems, being obliged to spend time with pop makes her appreciate him more than she has, and to finally trust the other men in her life. Apparently.
This one has been through a bit of a search for talent on both sides of the camera. Jennifer Aniston and Alan Arkin were attached to the lead roles, but have since dropped out, while on the directing front, Sarah Polley and Niki Caro have both considered the gig.
Now, with Keaton on board, he’ll have to find some new leads. It’ll make his second turn calling the shots, following on from 2008’s The Merry Gentleman, a task he shouldered only after the original director fell ill.
But it’ll have to wait until his schedule clears, as Keaton is going to be busy playing the villain in the new RoboCop and acting alongside Larry David and Jon Hamm in a new HBO TV movie.