David Gordon Green To Direct 'Little House On The Prairie' Movie

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by Kevin Jagernauth
October 1, 2012 11:47 AM
6 Comments

"I wish he'd make more films like 'George Washington' again," seems to be the common cry of a particular segment of David Gordon Green fans who still haven't realized he's moved on from his early filmmaking days. And while his recent output has had some peaks and valleys, it's clear the filmmaker moves to the beat of his own drum. Following last year's "The Sitter," he shot lo-fi indie "Prince Avalanche" starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch on the sly, put the pieces together on his "Suspiria" remake (though it looks to be delayed), and will spend the fall shooting the gritty southern drama "Joe" with Nicolas Cage. And next? "Little House On The Prairie." No, we're not kidding.

The famed Laura Ingalls Wilder children's book series, which was turned into a massively popular TV series starring Michael Landon, is now getting the feature film treatment by Sony Pictures who are in negotiations with Green to direct. But lest you think this is some kind of spoof take on the material about pioneer life in the 19th century, the script is coming from Abi Morgan of "Shame," "The Iron Lady" and "Brick Lane" fame. And if this seems like an odd move by Green, remember that he was developing "The Secret Life Of Bees" at one point before it got made into the movie we know now. Perhaps this is another chance to scratch a similar itch.

It's still early days and deals and contracts need to be closed, but we presume this might be next on Green's plate once he wraps with "Joe." For all the movement and casting it head, it seems "Suspiria" has been delayed or killed off altogether (we'd wager it was a hard one to get financing for). And while we're still puzzling over Green's upcoming slate, there is no doubt we'll pretty eager to see where he goes next. [Deadline]

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Ugh | October 1, 2012 9:48 PMReply

The problem isn't that David Gordon Green isn't making films in the same vein as 'George Washington' anymore. The problem is that his recent work has been lazily produced, poorly executed & unmotivated pieces of shit. How anyone can look at works like 'Your Highness' & 'The Sitter' & say Green even had his mind on set is beyond me.
Jeff | October 1, 2012 3:50 PMReply

It doesn't seem at all reasonable or accurate to describe what Green has done as "moving on." He wrote the scripts to the first four features he directed, and it showed. They were personal films. His last three films have been completely impersonal journeyman paycheck films, mostly written by his buddies, for the fratboy set. Under no metric could switching from genuine auteur pieces to sub-National-Lampoon "anarchic comedies" that you didn't personally develop be considered a step forward. It's devolution.
Nolan | October 1, 2012 7:57 PM

I completely agree. It seems so strange to me that the Playlist is always there to take shots at the people who wish Green hadn't gone away from his earlier style. I mean, come on, who wants more movies like George Washington when we can have The Sitter?
Arto | October 1, 2012 2:36 PMReply

Looks like he's following a similar path to Richard Linklater really with the choices he's making. He'll always be hit-and-miss but what falls in the "hit" category is likely to be really good.
BEF | October 1, 2012 12:00 PMReply

Greene back in the fields and open plains with Tim Orr? I'm pro that, regardless of the source. Please Sony allow long takes!
Carl | October 1, 2012 11:54 AMReply

David Gordon Green picks projects by consulting the I Ching also a dart board and a blindfold.