Gary Ross Upgrades From Venom to Matt Helm

Remember last Wednesday when Gary Ross was commissioned by Sony to write/direct a Venom movie for Sony? Yeah, I didn’t care about that either. Thankfully, that project might not be as eminent as we originally thought.

The Playlist has received word from a source close to Ross’ camp that not only is Venom quite a ways off, but the Pleasantville helmer is already at work on another property – Matt Helm. You may remember that from such news-items as when Steven Spielberg was flirting with making it his next directorial project. He “wisely” passed and opted to direct the forthcoming remake of Harvey instead. Good thinking, Mr. Spielberg!

More intriguing is the revelation that Bradley Cooper (of The Hangover and currently filming The A-Team) is currently in discussions for the title role. I guess he really wants to headline a would-be franchise – especially after losing out Green Lantern to Ryan Reynolds.

Say what you will about an updated Matt Helm film, but there’s no doubt it’s an upgrade from Venom.