David Gordon Green set to direct new 'Friday Night Lights' film

Image from Variety

By Darian Scalamoni

            David Gordon Green has stacked his resume for 18 years with a multitude of projects of all different genres. He started in 2000 with his beloved indie, “George Washington” and since then he’s conquered comedies like “Pineapple Express” and the HBO show, “Eastbound & Down” and more recently dramas with “Stronger” which starred Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s dipping his toes back into the waters of sports film as he’s set to direct a remake of a modern classic.

            According to Deadline, Green will direct a new film for Universal based on “Friday Night Lights.” The original movie was released in 2004 and starred Billy Bob Thornton as the coach of the Permian High Panthers. The movie spawned an Emmy-winning NBC series that ran from 2006-2011 and turned Kyle Chandler, Michael B. Jordan, Taylor Kitsch and Jesse Plemons into stars.

            I think this is just a flat out bad idea. The movie and show were universally loved and Universal is trying to catch lightning in a bottle by trying to recapture that. Green did a fantastic job with “Stronger” last year but this is a big task in front of him.

            Green will release two films before this movie even hits theaters though with his “Halloween” remake that brings back Jamie Lee Curtis and also stars Judy Greer and Virginia Gardner. The project that I’m most excited for though is “Newsflash” which follows the night that Walter Cronkite had to announce the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on television. Seth Rogen will play Cronkite with Mark Ruffalo and Logan Lerman in supporting roles.