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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Sets Directorial Debut with Scarlett Johansson

by Alex Billington
February 7, 2012
Source: Deadline

Damn this guy's career is about to explode, if it hasn't already! After successfully completing a live group-participant performance at Sundance for his own Hit Record show (more here), actor/artist extraordinaire Joseph Gordon-Levitt is now moving onto directing. Deadline reports that he is set to make his feature directing debut on an "untitled comedy" that he will co-star in with Scarlett Johansson, with funding from Nicolas Chartier's Voltage Pictures. Here's his only hint about it: the film is a sexy comedy about about a "modern day Don Juan," and his quest to become less of a "selfish dick." Sounds like it will be fun, right?

The project is being produced by Ram Bergman Productions in association with Hit Record Films, and will start shooting in April, coming up soon. Gordon-Levitt will play the lead "Don Juan" character and there's another female lead that will be cast shortly. No word on Johansson's role, but I'm sure we'll know soon enough. "I wrote myself a helluva role, one that people wouldn't necessarily thought of me for," Gordon-Levitt reveals. But he's much more excited to direct, as he's been leading up to it for a while, not only acting but making short films and running hitRecord. "I spent a year working with Chris Nolan, Rian Johnson, Steven Spielberg and I did my best to pay attention. I've also been making short films for a long time now, I've directed a ton of them, and that is a huge part of why I feel comfortable and confident in this."

Gordon-Levitt was also egged into directing by Quentin Tarantino, as he's also shooting a supporting role in his Django Unchained western, too. "It will be tricky schedule-wise, but I was honest with Quentin upfront," he recalls. "He was so cool and encouraging. He said, 'You strike me as the kind of guy who would want to direct,' and I took that as high praise." Though we still don't know what it's about, Joe seems to be very excited for it. "This is the first time I finished a feature film I thought was good enough to make into a movie," he says. I'm intrigued to see what this is all about and how it turns out, bring it on hitRecord Joe!

Filed under Casting, Development, Movie News

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