Russell Crowe Set To Make Directorial Debut
The actor will step behind the camera to shoot a biopic on comedian Bill Hicks.
News is in that Russell Crowe is set to make his directorial feature debut with a biopic about late comedian Bill Hicks - even though the actor isn't exactly the first personality that comes to mind when you think "comedy"...
The script has been penned by Crowe's long-time friend Mark Staufer with the actor attached to the project for years, even at one point considering to star as its main man.
Known for his dark and sharp humour, the American comedian sadly died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 32 in 1994 - his talent still largely unknown then.
The comedian was actually the subject of a documentary released last year, American: The Bill Hicks Story, and it's easy to see how Hicks' life story would translate well to film. A son of strict parents, a teenage Hicks escaped into performance (and along the way experimented with all types of substances) before breaking new ground in comedy and dying too young - almost the tragic rock star trajectory...
Production is due to start early next year. Crowe is currently in Iceland wrapping up shooting Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic, Noah.
Photo credit: Crowe, courtesy of Getty Images/Graham Denholm.
