Actress Thora Birch Set To Make Her Directorial Debut with Film Adaptation of The Crime Novel MR. PARADISE

Thora Bitch (American Beauty, Ghost World, and The Walking Dead) is set to make her feature film directorial debut with an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 2004 crime novel Mr. Paradise.

The story centers on Kelly, “an aspiring model, who witnesses a murder and gets caught in a web of intrigue.” The description of the novel reads:

Mr Paradise pays Chloe and Kelly to play cheerleaders. To dance while he watches reruns of Michigan's finest football games. At least that's the story that hired-help Montez Taylor tells cop Frank Delsa. Delsa's called in to investigate a double old man Paradise and a girl dressed as a cheerleader. He's got a witness a second cheerleader but she can't decide whether her name's Chloe or Kelly. Nobody it seems is playing it straight least of all the two trigger-happy hit men cruising Detroit's mean streets. But with a beautiful witness who might or might not want his protection, Delsa's ready to play for time Elmore Leonard is in top form with Mr Paradise which is set right back in his home town of Detroit, Motor City, scene of many of his greatest books.

Birch said in a statement: “I grew up loving so many blockbuster adaptations of Leonard’s work such as Get Shorty and Jackie Brown. I find his world of bumbling criminal characters, snappy dialogue, and constant pursuit of sex and status endlessly entertaining. Mr. Paradise provides an ideal new lens to view Leonard through the eyes of our intriguing female protagonist as she navigates between the Detroit underworld and a persistent police investigator. The true heart of the film is the search for an escape from the quiet desperation and decay of Rust Belt Detroit, and the hope that new love can provide that escape.”

Producer Michael Walters added: “Thora brings a fresh take on the Elmore Leonard canon, and her brilliant sense of irony is a perfect fit for Leonard’s mordant humor. Leonard’s novel is a tremendous source material, and this project exemplifies my IP-driven development approach.”

Get Shorty and Jackie Brown were great books and film adaptations, but I’ve never read Mr. Paradise. It sounds like another interesting story and a great project for Birch to direct. I think it’s great that Birch is going to try her hand at directing.

Source: Deadline