It’s clearly the day for directors we all thought had quit the business to make a return. Hot on the heels of Jane Campion’s announcement comes word that Whit Stillman – last seen behind the camera for 1998’s The Last Days Of Disco – is back with a political farce.
Stillman’s new film, Little Green Men, features a radio talk show host in Washington DC snatched from a golf course after he grills the president about America’s space program.
Christopher Buckley – whose satirical tobacco novel Thank You For Smoking recently hit the screen – wrote the book, which has been adapted by Sean Bates and Gregory Mackenzie. It’ll mark the first time Stillman directs a film he hasn’t written.
"I see this film as a departure," explained the helmer to Variety. "It's the kind of comedy that I would want to do, and a script that I saw as really well-done."
Now all he has to do is lock in a cast. According to Stillman, there’s a big comedy star flirting with the lead role. “Whenever Mr. Comedy Star wants to do it, that's when we will," he blabs. "If he wants, we can do it in his backyard, and there's even a part for his girlfriend." Wow, Whit… Way to make friends and influence people!