7 Actors Getting Ready to Make Their Directorial Debut
Hollywood actors often find themselves trying to prove that they’re more than just a pretty face. Ben Affleck, Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood—along with many others, they’ve all gotten behind the camera to direct and impressed audiences everywhere with compelling stories and unique form. This year, Joseph Gordon-Levitt made a celebrated directorial debut with Don Jon, and Ron Howard teamed up with Canon to get actors like Eva Longoria and Jamie Foxx to sit in the director’s chair, if only for a moment. It’s always thrilling to watch your favorite actor become your new favorite director, so in anticipation of an upcoming year with exciting new projects in the works, here are seven beloved thespians getting ready to make their directorial debut.
7. Cate Blanchett, The Dinner
The Academy Award-winning actress and recent Golden Globe nominee (for her performance in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine) has spent a great deal of time delivering unforgettable performances on screen. She’ll soon be donning the director’s hat with an adaptation of Herman Koch’s bestselling novel The Dinner. The plot is reminiscent of Roman Polanski’s 2011 film Carnage (which was based on the stage play “Gods Of Carnage”), where two families come together to discuss an issue concerning their children. However, The Dinner is a psychological thriller, also being hailed as the European Gone Girl. Although this will be Blanchett’s first time behind the lens, she has successfully directed for the theatre in the past. All of this experience paired with a fascinating story will surely make The Dinner one of the most highly-anticipated directorial debuts.
6. Jason Bateman, Bad Words
The Arrested Development actor isn’t exactly a virgin to the director’s seat. Over the years (especially in the late ’90s) he’s directed episodes for multiple television series, including For Your Love, Two Of A Kind, and an episode of Arrested Development. The red band trailer for his new movie, Bad Words, is already here, and it’s about as offensive as you might expect it to be. Bateman also stars in the film, and plays a grown man who refuses to stop participating in competitive spelling bees with children. Good times, good times.
5. Ellen Page, Miss Stevens
Unlike some of the other actors on this list, Page is jumping into the director’s seat early on in her career. But the young actress is still well-respected among her peers, having delivered strong performances in films like Juno and Inception. She’ll make her debut with Miss Stevens, which follows the story of a high school teacher who chaperones her students to a drama competition while navigating through her own personal drama. Anna Faris has already been cast in the lead, and there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Farris/Page pairing will ultimately make for a great movie.