Russell Crowe wants to join the Kevin Costners of the world and star in and direct the 70s crime drama, 77. This would be his directorial debut, but not his first push to make a directorial debut. He flirted with two other Aussie-based projects — Bra Boys about a band of outlaw surfers in Australia and The Long Green Shore, a WWII story set in Australia.
While he’s losing his home turf with this project, it seems a little more akin to his skill set and experience. The cop drama combines two real events: an unsolved murder of a police officer and a shootout between the Symbionese Liberation Army and the LAPD in South Central Los Angeles. The race war at the heart of the plot is bolstered by the perspectives the film will offer; we’ll see the events from the eyes of a white police officer and from the eyes of a black police officer. At face value, this seems a little hamfisted, but it will all depend on the execution (so don’t screw it up, Crowe).
The actor isn’t officially signed on to direct the flick, but it wouldn’t be the worst way for him to break into the directing game.
Source: Deadline
