Is the heist movie making a comeback? Last year’s “The Town” excited audiences with its gritty heist sequences, while this summer’s “Fast Five” found the car franchise refashioning itself into something else entirely, and later this year Louis Leterrier will combine illusions and bank robberies when he starts filming “Now You See Me.” Well, “Legally Blonde” and “Killers” director Robert Luketic is getting in on the action, and having signed on to direct “Brilliant” earlier this year, he’s now found his leading man.
Eric Bana, who kicked some major ass this spring in “Hanna,” will star in Luketic’s film. Written by Gillian Gorfil (producer of “Blood Diamond”) and Elizabeth Shorten, the story centers on a small-time criminal who becomes the protege of some of the world’s most accomplished thieves as they prepare the biggest diamond heist of all time. We’re guessing he’s the protege, but it’s not clear in Variety‘s report what role he’s up for.
And though Bana is usually solid, and while we’re always up for a good heist flick, the last time Luketic tried his hand at the genre he came up with “21,” the glossy and pretty empty Vegas card-counting movie with Kevin Spacey. And given his recent track record which has included “The Ugly Truth” and “Monster-In-Law” he’ll have to step up his game considerably to get us interested.
