Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Write, Direct, and Star in "Sexy Comedy" with Scarlett Johansson
Posted 02.08.12 by Ryan
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has worked with an enviable list of veteran directors — Christopher Nolan (2010's Inception and the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises), Steven Spielberg (the upcoming biopic Lincoln), and Spike Lee (2008's Miracle at St. Anna) to name a few. For his next project, Gordon-Levitt will team up with an untested, first-time director: himself.
Deadline reports that Gordon-Levitt will write, direct and star in an untitled comedy that will co-star Scarlett Johansson. Details on the movie are few, though Gordon-Levitt did reveal that the movie is a "sexy comedy" about a modern-day Don Juan who decides he wants to become less of a "selfish d**k," with Gordon-Levitt playing the character. "I wrote myself a helluva role, one that people wouldn’t necessarily thought of me for," the 50/50 actor admitted.
Gordon-Levitt admitted that he has worked to direct a movie for a while now, including directing several short movies to help him prepare.
I was a child actor for years and quit at 19, went to school awhile, and a big part of why I came back was that I ultimately wanted to make movies. I spent a year working with Chris Nolan, Rian Johnson [on the upcoming Looper], Steven Spielberg, and I did my best to pay attention. I’ve also been making short films for a long time now, I’ve directed a ton of them, and that is a huge part of why I feel comfortable and confident in this.
The untitled movie isn't the first script Gordon-Levitt has written, but the first he felt was ready to be made. "This is the first time I finished a feature film I thought was good enough to make into a movie," he told the site. "I’ve written others, including one mammothy huge sprawling thing that encompasses my entire point of view of everything since I was 20 years old."
Shooting is set to start on April 16th, and it seems his directorial debut is the reason Gordon-Levitt has admitted he still isn't a lock for Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Cast in a small supporting role last October, Gordon-Levitt said that he's still hoping he can appear in Tarantino's movie.
It will be tricky schedule-wise, but I was honest with Quentin upfront. He was so cool and encouraging. He said, "You strike me as the kind of guy who would want to direct," and I took that as high praise.
Django Unchained is currently in production.