Dustin Hoffman in the director's chair for the first time? Sounds great! And is there better project to start with then comedy? Guess no!
So here's the news – Dustin Hoffman will direct an upcoming comedy Quartet for BBC Films, with Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney in the lead roles.
So this fall, Hoffman is finally set to make his directorial debut. It really sounds unbelievable that this 72-year-old actor has never directed a film until now, except for an uncredited director stint for 1978's Straight Time.
On the other hand, something else sounds little bit weird. The project named Quartet is about four retired opera singers, based on a 1999 stage comedy by Ronald Harwood, (the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Pianist).
So, the actor we all remember best from Rain Man and Kramer vs. Kramer is going to be involved with retired opera singers? Well, let's wait and watch without prejudice.
The BBC Films angle makes it possible that the movie will only show up on television, but the fact that Hoffman's name, and his directorial debut is there, could sound like a good reason for people to go into theaters as well.
Looks like guys from UK are also very satisfied with this cooperation and Christine Langan, creative director of BBC Films doesn't hide the excitement, saying:
“Dustin's coming on board as the director is the icing on the cake, really. His understanding of the material and his take on it is incredibly exciting, deep and inspiring.”
Anyway, we are more then pleased to hear the news like this. Hoffman's spent lifetime in front of the camera, and now he's going behind it for the first time, and we just can't wait to see how that will look like!
