Greenlights: Keanu Reeves, Ben Affleck, & A 9-Year Old Boy

Some new projects have been announced. First up, Keanu Reeves will star in 47 Ronin, a period piece based on the true story of a band of samurai who avenged their slain master in 18th century Japan. Chris Morgan, who wrote Wanted and the upcoming Fast And Furious, will pen the script, which aims to be a stylized production mixing fantasy elements and visceral battle scenes. Sounds like an interesting project, but casting Keanu as the lead in an Asian story (though he is half-Asian) could rub people the wrong way, a la Tom Cruise's starring turn in The Last Samurai (though personally, I had no beef with it).

Ben Affleck may have found his next directing gig. After making his impressive directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone, the actor is looking to follow up that effort with a story about slain Arizona journalist Dan Bolles. Bolles was investigating political corruption and an increasing mob presence in Phoenix in 1976 when he was lured to a hotel by a source who never showed up. Bolles returned to his car which was then bombed, though he didn't die until after an eleven-day stay at the hospital that saw both legs and one arm amputated. A group of elite investigative journalists Bolles was trying to organize at the time responded by flocking to Phoenix and writing numerous articles exposing corruption in the state. Sounds like a story with a lot of potential, and I'm curious to see how Affleck responds to his initial succcess as a director. Can he turn in another strong showing, or will he be a one-hit wonder? Time will tell. That aside, this whole development with Affleck being a (former?) A-list heartthrob who started to lose his stature only to re-emerge as a reputable director is a fascinating subplot.

Finally, on a lighter note, Fox has bought the rights to "How to Talk to Girls," a pretty adorable 46-page self-help book written by a 9-year old. The book originated as a pamphlet that the author, Alec Greven, sold for $3.00 a pop at his school's book fair. The book offers a variety of advice, but my favorite so far has to be "It is easy to spot pretty girls because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry but are like cars that need a lot of oil." Priceless. Or not, rather, as the rights were reportedly sold in the low-to-mid six figure range. This is why you should encourage your kids to draw and write and scribble away, just in case they pump something out that'll sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. I bet every parent with a 9 year-old is pissed as hell right now that their kid didn't think of this first.