Indie writer Diablo Cody is set to make her first foray into directing. The Juno scribe will direct, as well as write, Christmas flick Lamb of God for Mandate Pictures. The religious-themed flick follows the story of a woman who loses her faith in God after a plane crash, but rediscovers it in it Vegas while living “the life of a sinner.” I find the assumption that Las Vegas is a wretched hive of scum and villainy kind of quaint, in this day and age. It’s like being afraid of Times Square. On her Tumblr, Cody reassures us that the film is “not the cynicism-fest implied by the log line. It’s a nice Christmas story.”
Mandate Pictures and Diablo Cody have collaborated before, on Cody-scripted projects Juno and the upcoming Young Adult. Perhaps because of this prior relationship, Mandate is willing to give Cody her first shot at directing. Cody seems eager to step into the director’s chair. “If I hear a certain type of music for a scene, I don’t have to shyly suggest it. I can use it. If I picture an actor in a role, I can offer them said role” The writer said on her Tumblr. “I’m accustomed to riding shotgun…and for the first time, I get to be the Captain and Tennille. Holy shit.”
Cody’s films have been divisive in the past, her high-concept premises and pop-culture saturated scripts have inspired derision as well as admiration. While her films can be obnoxiously twee, she hardly exceeds the standard set by your average navel-gazing male indie protagonist. That quote above about Cody being able to choose the music has me worried, if she has total control we might get a soundtrack that’s even more obnoxious than Juno’s.
Source: SlashFilm, Honest To Blr
