Gary Ross Is Split Down the Middle

The two films that Gary Ross both wrote and directed are modern classics. There's the effortlessly entertaining Pleasantville, which balances good old storytelling technique with whip-smart styling and a solidly explored set of themes and social ideas; and Seabiscuit which - wouldn't you know it - balances good old storytelling technique with whip-smart styling and a solidly explored set of themes and social ideas. A new film written and directed by Gary Ross (and for a while that was almost an adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, not that I'm knocking the one we did get) would surely be something to look forward to.

So how about two films written by and two films directed by Mr. Ross? How will these four films fare when each is only 'half' of his making?

A pair of scripts he has completed are now in the hands of other directors: The Tale of Despereaux, to be animated and based upon a charming children's book; and a remodel of The Creature From The Black Lagoon, which was one of his Ross's Daddy's films.

Then, the two films he is slated to direct are Neverlost and Vegas 55, each of them from screenplays by other writers.

Neil Shusterman has adapted his own paranormal fantasy Neverlost, for Ross to direct. It's set in a strange sort of afterlife that accepts two new spirits after a pair of teenagers get into a traffic accident - which is, in it's way, quite Pleasantville-ish an idea.

On the other hand, Vegas 55 is a historical drama about the first integrated casino. Hmmm. I can see how that might also be just a little Pleasantville-y around the edges.

No matter: I'm just pleased to have Gary Ross back and making movies. With John Sayles' latest tales often losing their way into swampy polemic, we might here be looking at his heir, the next filmmaker to excel at politically sensible, sincere and committed, well fleshed-out dramas and comedies with characters we care about and can invest in.