Verhoeven to Direct MGM’s Thomas Crown Affair Sequel

LOS ANGELES, November 15:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) has tapped Paul Verhoeven to direct the thriller
The Thomas Crown Affair 2,
which will be produced with Pierce Brosnan’s Irish DreamTime Productions.

Verhoeven has directed
films like Basic Instinct, RoboCop, Starship Troopers and Total Recall.

The development of a
sequel to The Thomas Crown Affair
is part of MGM’s ongoing initiative to build its film library with new
installments of its tent-pole franchises. Other new productions from the
company include Pink Panther 2,
and the 22nd installment of the James Bond franchise, starring Daniel Craig.

In The Thomas Crown
Affair 2, Crown becomes entangled
in a centuries-old feud that whisks him through Europe and the Middle East as
he decides how much he’s truly willing to risk for love. Brosnan and Beau St.
Clair will serve as producers for Irish DreamTime, along with D. Constantine
Conte. The start date for production has not been announced.

"Thomas Crown is a rich blend of dramatic tension, high
adventure, romance and just the right touch of humor," said MGM’s COO Rick
Sands. "Paul's body of work demonstrates his ability to deftly combine
those elements while telling a story that keeps audiences on the edge of their
seats. His directorial talents complement Pierce's portrayal of the Thomas
Crown character and we're all looking forward to an engaging and entertaining
film."

St. Clair added, “MGM came
to us after the first film with the idea that Thomas Crown was an intriguing,
modern character worthy of a franchise. So Pierce and I talked a lot about how
to continue his story in a different and surprising way. Given our ambitions, to put Crown in an
international setting with a bigger set of challenges, we couldn’t have found a
more ideal director than Paul Verhoeven.”

"I love to tease the
audience, to challenge their expectations for characters and storylines,"
said Verhoeven. "This movie provides an incredible opportunity to push and
pull the audience, whether through intense action and suspense or light-handed
humor. I'm very much looking forward to working with Pierce, his Irish DreamTime
team and MGM."

—By Ned Berke