'The 28th Amendment' Cruises back to life at Warner Brothers

This was a project I really really really liked the sound of back last year when it was announced, then it just sort of faded away, both stars Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington dropped out and it seemed as if that was it, however Variety are reporting that it is very much alive and Cruise is once again highly interested in the project.

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is in talks to direct Warner Bros. drama "The 28th Amendment," which has emerged as a strong contender to be one of Tom Cruise's next star vehicles.

The German helmer hasn't directed a film since his 2006 pic "The Lives of Others" won the foreign-language film Oscar, and he recently signed with UTA to move into Hollywood films.

According to sources, the filmmaker is in talks with the studio to make the movie with Cruise. "Star Trek" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the duo that originated the project as a spec in 1999, are rewriting the script.

The drama revolves around a U.S. president who discovers the existence of a secret cabal that runs the government and wants him dead.

Basil Iwanyk and Richard Donner are producers.

Cruise came off "Valkyrie" with an aggressive mission to find new projects -- he is currently considering five different pictures for two potential 2009 slots -- but "28th Amendment" recently emerged as a strong candidate, its chances helped by the highly regarded von Donnersmarck.

Now I have to plead ignorance as far as this "highly regarded" director goes, Ive not seen 'The Lives of Others' which won the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2006 and at 35 that is the only film the young director has made, not bad eh ?,  I imagine he can turn his hand to the action thriller style this movie will require and maybe take the very poppy writing style of Orci and Kurtzmnan and inject it with some depth.

Cruise is looking to do two films this year and this one and 'The Matarese Circle' seem to be head of the cue on his rather extensive list.