Let's just say that James Ponsoldt is having a moment. It may have taken a few years after his debut feature for him to really make an impact, but when he did it was with the terrific alcoholism drama, Smashed. His follow-up, The Spectacular Now, premiered recently at Sundance (review here) and sold for a hefty sum after rave reviews for him and stars Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. A couple of months ago he signed up to bring Pure, the young adult novel by Julianna Baggott, to the big screen. Now he's keeping himself busy by adding two more major projects to his schedule, thanks to a new deal struck with The Weinstein Company.
Ponsoldt will write and direct an adaptation of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, the upcoming novel from Silver Linings Playbook author Matthew Quick. The story centers on a young man on his birthday, who decides that's the time to pack his grandfather's gun, go out and murder his former best friend then commit suicide. Along the way he'll say goodbye to the four people that mean the most to him. Pondsoldt has shown an aptitude for darker material, so he should be right at home.
He'll also pen a big screen take on the honored Broadway musical, Pippin. For those who maybe didn't take theater class in high school and think the story revolves around a hobbit, it actually follows the titular son of King Charlemagne who seeks to find adventure and a place in the world.
So lots for Ponsoldt to do in the next few months. You can check out The Spectacular Now when it opens on August 2nd. [Deadline]
