Charlie Kaufman Saddles Up With Brick Tamland, Gulliver, & Johnny Blaze

Charlie Kaufman is an incredibly and undeniably talented screenwriter, and he's on a short list of people that I always show up for.  That's not to say all of his projects are a home run by any stretch of the imagination.  Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind still floors me to this day and I have a huge soft spot for Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, whereas Adaptation and Being John Malkovich always felt somewhat uneven in their execution.  His directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York, plays with some interesting ideas and is wonderfully inhabited by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but lacks real clarity and ultimately falls short of its own ambitions.

According to Deadline, Kaufman has begun casting on his next project Frank Or Francis.  Nicolas Cage and Jack Black have already signed on the dotted line and Steve Carrell is currently in negotiations to jump on board as well.  Plot details are scarce, as is customary with most Kaufman projects, but the action focuses on a filmmaker (Frank) who begins feuding with an online film critic (Francis).  No word yet one who's playing which role, and while Black seems the obvious choice for the blogger, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cage echo his brilliant and nerdy portrayal of Kaufman himself from Adaptation.

Either way, color more than ready to see what Kaufman has cooked up this time.