James Mangold is ready to make another Western, as the "3:10 to Yuma" director is attached to direct "The Gunslinger," the filmmaker's representation at Management 360 has confirmed to TheWrap.
John Hlavin ("Underworld 4") wrote the contemporary revenge thriller, which follows a former Texas Ranger who sets out to punish the men who killed his brother.
Warner Bros. bought Hlavin's spec script in May 2009 but New Regency recently picked up the project after WB put it in turnaround.
Andrew Lazar ("Get Smart") will produce the film along with Cathy Konrad, Mangold's wife and producing partner who will produce through the couple's company Tree Line Film.
Mangold may be one of Hollywood's most under-appreciated filmmakers. He has proved himself to be an actor's director, having guided Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon to Oscar wins for "Girl, Interrupted" and "Walk the Line," respectively, and also directed Sylvester Stallone to one of the best performances of his career in "Copland."
As a teenager, I found Mangold's debut feature "Heavy" to be quietly devastating, as it had some parallel with "Angus," another 1995 movie (and a personal favorite of mine) about an overweight guy who falls for a beautiful girl.
Mangold was last in theaters with the Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz action-comedy "Knight and Day," which grossed an impressive $261 million worldwide.
In addition to Management 360, Mangold (who celebrates a birthday today) is represented by CAA and his involvement with "The Gunslinger" was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
