As Oscar buzz swirls surrounding his transformative performance in “Foxcatcher,” Steve Carell has signed on to star in an untitled paranoid thriller that Gore Verbinski will direct for New Regency, the company announced Tuesday.
The film is the first in a multi-year deal between Verbinski’s Blind Wink and New Regency, which is starting production in March. Steve Conrad (“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”) is writing the screenplay.
Following this film, Verbinski will shoot two additional back-to-back projects for New Regency –“A Cure For Wellness,” an elevated horror film written by Justin Haythe (“Revolutionary Road”), and “Passengers” (working title), a large-scale action comedy written by Steve Conrad.
Verbinski is an Oscar-winning filmmaker whose “Rango” grossed over $245 million worldwide. Verbinski previously directed the first three films in the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, which collectively grossed over $3 billion dollars worldwide. His other credits include “Mouse Hunt,” “The Mexican,” “The Ring” and “The Lone Ranger.
Verbinski is represented by CAA. Carell is represented by WME and Media Four Management.