Ned Benson got his directorial career off to an ambitious start with The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, a film that didn't make the splash many expected given the talent involved. Last fall, Benson moved on to pen Weinstein's long-developing adaptation of Michael Gates Gill’s best-selling memoir, "How Starbucks Saved My Life", and now it looks like he'll be helming the rags-to-riches story as well.
According to The Tracking Board, Benson has come on to direct the film which has been in development for nearly a decade, initially at Universal with Gus Van Sant and Tom Hanks on board. Gill had been a high-powered ad exec who lost everything after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Taking a job as a barista at Starbucks, he met an unlikely mentor who helped change his outlook on life.
No word yet on when this could roll but if Benson is being bumped up to director now it likely means Weinstein is ready to start casting.
