Darren Aronofsky’s George Washington Project The General is close to being picked up by Paramount Pictures per a first-look deal the studio has with the director’s Protozoa Pictures company.
Little is known about The General script penned by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (Accepted, Tower Heist story) other than the obvious focus on George Washington. There are rumors the film will play more like Unforgiven than a straightforward biopic, but at this time the rumor has been neither confirmed or denied.
The combination of Aronofsky’s success with Black Swan starring Natalie Portman and the lack of a big Hollywood production based on the first President of the United States makes the project a hot commodity to acquire for several studios. Should Paramount fail to close a deal, The General will be shopped to other studios with the highest bidder scoring the rights – assuming multiple studios are willing to put up the cash.
John Adams recently got the Hollywood treatment in HBO’s miniseries of the same name, and there’s no arguing Washington falls higher on the historical significance pecking order. No matter which studio ends up getting to work with Darren Aronofsky on The General, it’s exciting to know a high-profile George Washington project is finally on the way one way or another.
Right now Aronofsky is deep into pre-production on Noah, a massive $150 million biblical tale starring Russell Crowe. The General would theoretically be much more intimate than Noah, yet still showcase Aronofsky’s signature directing style.
Source: Variety
