Director Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) has had development trouble on several tantalizing projects in recent years. His Martin Luther King drama “Memphis” had several false starts, and while cast with Forest Whitaker in 2013, one has to wonder if “Selma” put the kibosh on it. The filmmaker had similar trouble on his untitled Jimi Hendrix film four years ago. In fact, the project was killed at the end of 2010 when the rocker's estate wouldn't give any kind of approval. It’s no wonder Greengrass turned back to Jason Bourne (the new iteration with Matt Damon back in the lead shoots this fall).
READ MORE: Retrospective: The Films Of Paul Greengrass
Legendary Pictures chief Thomas Tull gambled last time, worked on a script, and then sought approval from Hendrix’s notoriously picky gate keepers. It didn’t work. But Tull is back, with Greengrass in tow, and they’ve hired a new writer in “8 Mile” screenwriter Scott Silver. And the rights issue? Well, four years later...
