Remember, back in July, when Taylor Lautner had dinner with Gus Van Sant and Dustin Lance Black, and that reporter from GQ Australia used the situation to ask that rude question about Lautner's sexuality? Not that they needed any reason to dine together beyond enjoyment of each other's company or even just a shared desire for nourishment, but as it turns out, the dinner seems to have been part of some serious Hollywood business.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lautner will star in (and produce!) an as-of-yet unnamed indie film that Van Sant will direct. All that's publicly known about the film is that it is based off a New Yorker article that Lautner optioned, though we can also assume that, given Van Sant's involvement, it probably won't be a comedy.
It's an interesting match, and perhaps a good one for each participant. Lautner's solo debut, the actioner "Abduction," was a box office flop that is languishing in the low single digits on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and his next non-"Twilight" films, which include a big screen version of "Stretch Armstrong," don't exactly scream critical darling.
In Van Sant, he'll team with a two-time Oscar nominated director known for getting performances out of young actors. He directed Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in their breakout film, "Good Will Hunting," guided River Phoenix and Keanu Reaves in 1991's "My Own Private Idaho," took a 25-year old Matt Dillon through "Drugstore Cowboy" and just directed "Restless," with young Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper in "Restless."
The only question is: can Van Sant top the angst of Jacob the werewolf? Now that will be a challenge, but one he's singularly qualified to tackle.
For more, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.
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