Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell could be working together real soon...

...according to The Playlist:

...and then there was one. With Elizabeth Banks, Kirsten Dunst, Blake Lively, Rooney Mara, Rachel McAdams, Andrea Riseborough, Olivia Wilde and Jennifer Lawrence all vying and testing for the coveted female lead role in David O. Russell‘s “The Silver Linings Playbook,” one name has risen above the others. Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence seems to have impressed the director where the others have failed, taking the frontrunner position according to Deadline.

We were definitely bummed when the “Winter’s Bone” star bailed on Oliver Stone‘s “Savages” to make way for “The Hunger Games,” but this finds the actress back into meatier territory after her recent vacations in tentpole land. The plot involves Pat Peoples (to be played by Mark Wahlberg), a former high school teacher who, after being released from a four-year stint in a mental institution, moves back in with his mother; he then seeks to remake himself, finding the titular silver linings in his life. The role that Lawrence will take is that of a depressed neighbour, who after the death of her husband, goes on wild sexual spree, loses her job and eventually becomes friends with and a love interest for Pat.

Of course, Lawrence is currently very busy shooting “The Hunger Games” in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, but should the contracts get signed, sealed and delivered, she will transition straight to Russell’s film which is gearing up for a fall shoot. It’s certainly a rock solid casting choice for Russell, who could really have chosen anybody he wanted, and for Lawrence, another smart move by the actress who is quickly diversifying her IMDb page.

-Joey's Two Cents: I like this pairing a lot...thoughts?

Could David O. Russell be tackling a fairy tale?

Perhaps in a way, according to the A.V. Club:

Now that David O. Russell has walked out of the video game adaptation Uncharted, he’s once more been released into the wild to let his primary animal instincts take over—namely, sniffing around projects and engaging in potentially fruitless mating rituals. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest film that has briefly caught Russell’s attention is Maleficent, perhaps the eldest of the now-several Sleeping Beauty adaptations in the works. Though you probably shouldn’t put much stock in it for obvious reasons, Russell is said to be “circling” the film that would likely star Angelina Jolie in the titular evil witch role. It’s also highly possible, however, that Russell will be repelled by the scent of Tim Burton, who left Maleficent recently after spending many months marking his territory.

And as always with David O. Russell, there are dozens and dozens of other scripts that he’s hunting: He told Vulture that he’s working first on reteaming with Mark Wahlberg on The Silver Linings Playbook, and admitted that he’d like to see Jolie star in that, while also saying he’d talked to her about “several projects.” And while that could definitely mean Maleficent, it could also mean any of the other films Russell has been stalking around, including (just to name a few) his biopic of Mayor Buddy Cianci, his recently completed “romantic Western” Two Guns, his action-drama with Lorenzo di Bonaventura called Mission, a Russ Meyer biopic, a project with Ice Cube, Old St. Louis, and even that Fighter sequel that Wahlberg keeps mentioning. And of course, any and all of these could be quickly abandoned if Russell is spooked by the crack of a dry twig and goes scurrying off into the wilderness.

-Joey's Two Cents: Well, he certainly has no lack of options to sift through...thoughts?

There's finally a director in place for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies...

...and that person will be using David O. Russell's script, according to Collider:

The adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novelty book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has been cycling through directors for over a year. In December 2009, David O. Russell came on board to write and direct, but left the following October. Then in November, Mike White (Year of the Dog) signed on to direct, but he dropped out last January. Now Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) has the gig and he has given his first interview on his plans for the film.

The most interesting fact he provides is that he’ll use O. Russell’s script, because “it has such a great mix of humor and horror. I just love being able to juggle those two aspects.” Hit the jump for more on what Gillespie had to say about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Regarding O. Russell’s script, Gillespie adds:

The humor is inherent in the Pride and Prejudice side, but taking that and accenting it with zombies is just a brilliant and fun idea. And there are such strong female characters, which is nice to have. It’s a great clash.

Speaking to EW, Gillespie says that while he likes the humor and the horror, he’s invested in making the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy the heart of the story:

There’s a lot of action in this. There are a lot of big set pieces in this film, which is exciting. Basically, as I said to the studio, at the core it’s a love story between Elizabeth and Darcy. If that’s not working, and we’re not rooting for those two get together through all this craziness, the movie is not going to work. That’s key to me, to have this great emotional story going on, and all this craziness.

As for the visual style of the film, Gillespie says:

It’s more in the world of [Tim Burton's 1999] Sleepy Hollow, where it’s somewhat stylized. We have that creative license because of the zombies. I’ll certainly do my homework and explore genres to see what might work, but it’s going to have that strong gothic sense, I think.

Gillespie’s new film, a 3D remake of Fright Night, opens August 19th.

-Joey's Two Cents: I liked Lars and the Real Girl quite a bit, and Russell seems like someone with a unique take on the material, so I like this partnership a lot...thoughts?