Once The Hangover hit it big at the box office, Bradley Cooper and the rest of that film’s gang of miscreants suddenly found themselves in the position of transitioning from being utility players in the showbiz landscape to being viewed as commodities that could anchor films of their own. But ever since Cooper showed people that he could do a whole lot more than just play the cocky, funny guy with his Oscar nominated performance in Silver Linings Playbook, it’s looked like the sky is the limit concerning how far he can go as an actor. Today, with the news that Cooper has two big, new projects in the works, we see that sense of possibility begin to bear fruit.
First up, Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the James Renner novel “The Man From Primrose Lane,” a book they intend on developing into a starring vehicle for our new favorite actor. Black List-approved screenwriter Chad Feehan (Beyond the Pale) will be doing the adapting of the story, which the book’s Amazon page describes by saying:
“In West Akron, Ohio, there lived a reclusive elderly man who always wore mittens, even in July. He had no friends and no family; all over town, he was known as the Man from Primrose Lane. And on a summer day, someone murdered him.
Fast-forward four years. David Neff, the bestselling author of a true-crime book about an Ohio serial killer, is a broken man after his wife’s inexplicable suicide. When an unexpected visit from an old friend introduces him to the strange mystery of ‘the man with a thousand mittens,’ David decides to investigate. What he finds draws him back into a world he thought he had left behind forever. And the closer David gets to uncovering the true identity of the Man from Primrose Lane, the more he begins to understand the dangerous power of his own obsessions and how they may be connected to the deaths of both the old hermit and his beloved wife.”
The next project on Cooper’s plate is a Weinstein Company comedy that’s currently being developed under the title of Chef. Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance is set to direct from a Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) screenplay, and Variety is reporting that Cooper is in negotiations to star as a disgraced chef who loses a Michelin-rated restaurant in Paris and decides to move his crew to London to start over with a new place. The Intouchables star Omar Sy is also said to be in negotiations to join the film, which would be his first time working on an English-language project.
Cooper’s involvement is not yet official, mostly because he’s so busy the film wouldn’t be able to start shooting with him in the lead until June at the earliest. Excuses given by Cooper for the delay included having other movies to film, wanting to go to tennis games, and possibly running for President of the Galaxy. But, you know, if he finds a free weekend, maybe he’ll star in a Derek Cianfrance movie as well… no big whoop. Unless, of course, any of those rumors about Cooper playing Lance Armstrong prove to be true. Then all bets are off.