Jason Bateman has signed on to direct The Pinkerton, a supernatural revenge/western hybrid that’s in development at Warner Bros. and Bad Robot. The original spec script, penned by F9 writer Daniel Casey, was acquired by the companies two years ago.
The Pinkertons were a private security guard and detective agency established in the U.S. by Scotsman Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired Pinkerton agents for his personal security during the Civil War.
This will be the first original film project for Bad Robot since Warner Bros. signed a big deal with the company, which is run by J.J. Abrams. Abrams and Hannah Minghella will produce, while Bateman and Michael Costigan will executive produce.
While Bateman is best known for his Arrested Development role and for starring in many comedies, he’s also a handy director. He directed many episodes of crime drama Ozark, which won him an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, and he’s also helmed the films Bad Words and The Family Fang.
Obviously there’s not much to go on regarding The Pinkerton right now, but it’s description as a hybrid of genres is curious, and the true story it’s likely to be partly based on sounds interesting. There will obviously be more details down the line regarding casting and whatnot.
Bateman will next be seen in Air, the biographical comedy drama about Nike’s effort to sign Michael Jordan to wear their shoes, action-thriller Carry-On in which he’ll star alongside Taron Egerton, while he’s also just entered pre-production on his next directorial effort; Netflix thriller Dark Wire.
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