"Enemies" reborn under Redford?

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I thought with all the apparent lack of interest in Iraq/ Aghanistan/9.11-type movies that Against All Enemies, a film based on former terrorism czar Richard Clarke's novel about the failures of the Clinton and Bush administrations to stop the terrorist plotters who eventually brought about the 9.11 attacks, was dead. Indeed, Variety's Michael Fleming has reported that Columbia Pictures, "[which] had been developing the project, put it into turnaround last month."

But the guys who run Capitol Films (i.e., the owners of ThinkFilm) have picked up the project and and are raising financing, and if and it all comes together Robert Redford (whose troubled Lions for Lambs opens on 11.9) has agreed to direct.

I ran a piece in April 2006 about James Vanderbilt's adaptation of Clark's novel -- a "gripping, pared-to-the-bone screenplay, which Paul Haggis was going to direct with Sean Penn as Clarke.

It has a 24-page opening sequence that kills in terms of tension and psychological suspense, showing the White House staffers in turmoil on the morning of 9/11. Then it rewinds back to start of Clarke's government career in the late '70s (when he was in his late 20s) and takes us on a journey of gradual discovery as Clarke learns more and more about the Mujahdeen, Islamic fundamentalists, offensive Jihad, "Usama" bin Laden and so on.

Then it's back to 9/11 and Clarke's confusion when the Bushies decide to use the attacks as an excuse to go to war with Iraq, and then his leaving the White House and writing his book and delivering his rant before a Congressional 9/11 committee, and finally his apology...even though he's arguably the least guilty guy in the Washington establishment as far as 9/11 negligence is concerned.

comment #1

cust71 says ...

After reading the book, I'm curious as to how Redford is going to direct this thing. The book has an urgent feel to it, where Redford's style as of late seems to be anything but. I'll take a lot of shit for this, but Oliver Stone in his bio-pic mode would work wonders for this. Any word if Sean Penn and Vince Vaughn are still attached?

comment #2

GeorgePrager says ...

...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

Dear fuck, who was Vince Vaughn supposed to play?

comment #4

cust71 says ...

I believe he was supposed to play John O'Neill, an FBI agent friend of Clarke's.

comment #5

cjKennedy says ...

There's an important story here that doesn't have to have a left/right slant. Is Redford really the best guy for this material?

I ask that as a moderate lefty by the way.

comment #6

Mr. Gittes says ...

What about Michael Mann!! He needs to do something!!

comment #7

Josh Massey says ...

As I said in another thread, this will quickly be shelved when Lions for Lambs doesn't hit $40 million domestic.

comment #8

SaveFarris says ...

If Redford doesn't cut the parts that lay even a scintilla of the blame on Clinton, this will never reach DVD. Just ask "The Path to 9/11"...

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