“Gran Torino” was allegedly supposed to be Clint Eastwood‘s last acting job. At the time, the 81-year-old filmmaker, who directed, produced, and partly scored the film with his son Kyle, said the role would most likely be the last time he acted in a movie. But never say never, especially when friends are involved.
Eastwood’s Malpaso production partner (producer on “Mystic River,” “Flags Of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima“) and frequent AD Robert Lorenz is mounting his directorial debut, the baseball drama “Trouble With the Curve,” and when he called upon his longtime friend, we can only assume Eastwood said yes immediately.
Sporting a winning concept, the film centers on an aging baseball scout (Eastwood), who is slowly going blind, on a final trip with his daughter to check out a hot prospect. Twitch is now reporting that Sandra Bullock is in talks to play the daughter, in what we assume could be an intriguing tête-à-tête between the two actors, presuming that father/daughter relationship isn’t exactly all hugs and sunshine.
Bullock has had quite the career gearshift of late. After a stretch of uneven work and poorly-reviewed films in the post-“Speed” years (“Forces of Nature,” Miss Congeniality,” Murder By Numbers“), in 2009 she came into her own. “The Proposal” became a gigantic box-office hit, “The Blind Side” won her an Oscar, and even the Razzie-favored “All About Steve” could not deter her momentum (the fact that she graciously accepted the award showed she had a great sense of humor; PR-wise she was unstoppable).
And Bullock’s on a strong tear. Next up is “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” and we’ve heard from some friends who have seen early screenings that she is once again at the top of her game and could end up another Best Actress Oscar nominee. After that we’ll see her in Alfonso Cuaron‘s “Gravity” opposite George Clooney. The rehabilitation of Sandra Bullock continues, and if she closes this deal to work alongside Eastwood, it could be complete. Maybe she’ll never have to suffer another “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous” joke again.
