Jeff Bridges wants to star in an adaptation of The Giver?

Apparently so, according to Variety:

Jeff Bridges and producer Nikki Silver are taking another stab at a big screen version of Lois Lowry's young adult novel "The Giver."

They had been developing a feature version of the popular book for nearly a decade before it wound up at Warner Bros., which ponied up nearly $1 million to set up the tome with Red Wagon's Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher in 2007.

When the rights became available again, Bridges and Silver stepped up to reacquire them and produce through family film and TV shingle On Screen Entertainment.

Vadim Perelman ("The House of Sand and Fog") is still attached to pen the script. Film financier John Heyman will produce.

Bridges will co-produce with Silver and Neil Koenigsberg, the thesp's longtime manager. Silver and Koenigsberg produced documentary "The Dude Abides," which kicked off the 25th anniversary PBS "American Masters" series in January celebrating Bridges' 40-year plus acting career.

"The Giver" follows a 12-year-old who lives in a futuristic utopian society where all memory of human history has been erased. His life is thrown into turmoil when he is designated to inherit the role of the Giver and bear his community's vast range of human emotions, which causes him to realize that living a pain-free life comes at a high cost.

Bridges was introduced to the book, which has sold more than 10 million copies, by his daughter, who was reading it in high school.

"I originally thought of the role of the Giver as a vehicle for my father, the late Lloyd Bridges; however, at 61 years old, I feel the time is right for me to do it," he said.

"The Giver" was first published in 1994, when it was optioned by TV syndicator Lancit Media and then family program producer RCN Entertainment (behind PBS kidlit series "Reading Rainbow"). Silver was an exec at both Lancit and RCN.

Bridges and Silver came close to getting the film made in 2006, when Fox and Walden Media were interested in giving the project a greenlight, with Perelman at the helm.

-Joey's Two Cents: I never cared much for the book, but I could see it being an interesting project for Bridges...thoughts?

Have the duo behind Little Miss Sunshine finally set their next film in motion?

They sure seem to have, and it's from an interesting source. Here's the story from The Playlist:

It’s been five years since 2006’s “Little Miss Sunshine” and while directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris have had several projects in development, earlier this year it was finally revealed the duo we pushing forward with “He Loves Me.” Written by actress Zoe Kazan who will co-star in the picture with her real-life boyfriend Paul Dano, the project is a meta-strange sounding road-trip film that centers on a young novelist who achieves success early in his career but begins to face struggles. It has been described as a blend of “Adaptation” and “Weird Science,” as the young protagonist follows the advice of writing the woman he thinks will love him in a bid to overcome his writer’s block. Here’s the strange part, through this odd exercise he ends up willing her into existence.

Sounds fascinating and certainly ambitious, but considering “Little Miss Sunshine” was a smash $100 million hit, it’s no surprise that Fox Searchlight are once again back in the fold. According to Deadline, the film is now primed to start shooting in July and moreover Jeff Bridges is being sought for an unknown role. We’d guess his participation will depend on his promotional schedule for his debut album which will be released by Blue Note in August. The actor also has the big budget “The Seventh Son” with Julianne Moore, Sam Clafin and Alicia Vikander on the horizon but that is slated to shoot later in the year and shouldn’t conflict with “He Loves Me.”

We’re glad Dayton/Faris are back and excited they are tackling some truly original material. “He Loves Me” looks to be coming out of the gate with some impressive talent and there’s more surely to come as the film heads into production.

-Joey's Two Cents: Everything about this project sounds right up my alley. Color me very interested...thoughts?

Jeff Bridges could be joining Ryan Reynolds for 'R.I.P.D.'!

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Jeff Bridges is final negotiations to star opposite Ryan Reynolds in R.I.P.D., Universal's supernatural action comedy about a ghost-busting police force.

Bridges steps into the role that was to have been occupied by Zach Galifianakis, but the comedian ultimately never sealed the deal.

The project is based on the Dark Horse comic, and Dark Horse Entertainment's Mike Richardson is producing with Neal Moritz and David Dobkin.

R.I.P.D. follows a murdered cop (Reynolds) who is recruited to work in the Rest in Peace Department, a police force comprised of ghosts who battle spirits unready to depart this world.?

Bridges will play Reynolds' partner, a wise-cracking officer who's been hunting spirits since the 1800s.

Robert Schwentke is directing.

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