Remember a few months back (or was it a few? Time flies) when the Stephen Soderbergh and Brad Pitt film Moneyball got yanked from production by the studio mere days before it was set to begin shooting? Well now, it seems he finally has something to say about it. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, he remarked that “apparently I can’t be trusted with a sports film.”
“There have been a couple of times in my career where I’ve been unceremoniously removed from projects. I don’t waste a lot of energy on it. It doesn’t get you anywhere. As soon as it became clear that there was no iteration of that movie that I was going to get to direct, I immediately started looking around for something else to do. I have a couple of other things in development that I had hoped to move up, but actor’s schedules wouldn’t allow it. But I have something I can get to after the first of the year, and I’m supposed to do my Liberace movie next summer. So my attitude when something like that happens is, ‘What’s next?’ You can’t dwell on it.”
Wow, talk about a guy who can take a beating and keep moving forward, Rocky Balboa style. I understand that a film based on a book based on an Oakland A’s manager isn’t exactly bound to dominate the box office, but the guy directed Ocean’s 11 for crying out loud.
Hopefully we’ll get to see the project in one form or another eventually. As for Soderbergh’s Liberace movie, he’s looking to cast Michael Douglas as the gay icon and Matt Damon as his lover. I double dog dare you to find a through line in this director’s oeuvre — the man chooses uphill battles and always makes interesting pictures.
With any luck, his next one will get off the ground.







How to go from Gordon to Glitter Man !!!
Michael Douglas is Liberace !!!
Hugh Jackman as the very young Liberace ?
Robin Williams as Seymour Heller, Liberace’s Manager ?
Gary Sinise as George, Liberace’s brother ?
Kathy Bates, as Frances, Liberace’s mother ?
Kirk Douglas as Salvatore, Liberace’s father ?
Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley ?
Scott Thorson is as Matt Damon !!!!!