Gavin O'Connor, director of THE ACCOUNTANT and WARRIOR, has lined up his next project at Warner Bros., which Variety reports will be the upcoming thriller FAST from HELL OR HIGH WATER scribe Taylor Sheridan. The Oscar-nominated writer was also planning to direct, but that is no longer the case of he and the studio failed to reach a deal, leading the studio to reach out to other directors.
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The movie was announced a few months ago and is reported to be about a special forces commando who is recruited by the DEA to take down drug dealers who are being protected by the CIA. Interest was especially hot around the project when it was reported GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY star Chris Pratt was in talks to play the lead, but now that Sheridan is no longer directing it’s unclear if the actor is still on board to star.
David Heyman (HARRY POTTER) and Jeff Clifford are set to produce there’s currently no planned start date as O’Connor finishes up his current project, the sports drama TORRANCE, which reunited him with ACCOUNTANT star Ben Affleck. In the years since that last movie, O’Connor has been linked to several projects, including the WW2 drama ATLANTIC WALL with Bradley Cooper and, what would’ve been his biggest movie, SUICIDE SQUAD 2. He left the latter film after disagreements over his story treatment for the sequel, which of course made room for current director James Gunn to land the gig.
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All in all, O'Connor is a smart choice to tackle what seems like another intense thriller from Sheridan. While TORRANCE sounds like something more akin to past movies WARRIOR and MIRACLE, FAST would be close to something like ACCOUNTANT, which was an enjoyable action flick that gets the job done, if nothing more. Sheridan is one of the best screenwriters working today — and such a role would be a welcome part for Pratt as he branches out from blockbuster movies — so with all three together this is shaping up to be a movie to look out for should it all come together.