Sean Penn Playing Famous Story Editor Max Perkins in 'Genius'« FirstShowing.net

In his preparation to return to acting after a self-imposed sabbatical,Sean Pennhas been lining up a fair share of upcoming roles. We recently heard he was going tohit some wavesfor a biopic about iconic surfer Dorian"Doc"Paskowitz. But now he's moving into completely different territory asTHRreports the praised yet publicly abrasive actor will star in a film calledGenius, telling the story of literary editorMax Perkinswho worked with legendary authors like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. River Road Ent. producer/financierBill Pohladwill finally direct the drama after many others have tried before.

Pohlad hasn't directed a feature since 1990 (something calledOld Explorers), so this seems like a risk, but he's been in the business as a producer (he's worked on films likeBrokeback MountainandInto the Wild) long enough to know what's going on, even if his vision hasn't exactly been prominent on-screen. Previously, directors like Michael London and Lawrence Kasdan have been attached through various incarnations, but it never got off the ground. This has more sure footing because Penn and Pohlad have a history not only withInto the Wild, but other recent soon-to-be-released films starring Penn likeFair GameandThe Tree of Life.

The story comes from A. Scott Berg's biographyMax Perkins: Editor of Genius, which chronicles the life and work of the eccentric editor as he found him at theScribner publishing housein New York overseeing some of literature's most famous works from the best of the best authors (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Vonnegut, etc). The bulk of the story will deal with Perkins relationship with a youngerThomas Wolfe, with lots of cameos from other known literary types. It doesn't sound like the most thrilling of stories, but if directors have been trying to get it off the ground for awhile, there's got to be something worthwhile in the story.Sound good?

Source