I was only familiar with Fisher Stevens from the 1986 film, Short Circuit, so imagine my surprise when I watched the heart-wrenching and Academy Award-winning documentary, The Cove, and discovered Stevens was a co-director.  It looks like Stevens will step back behind the camera once again for an adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, American Pastoral.  This fictionalized account follows the protagonist, Seymour “Swede” Levov, who not only achieves the American dream, but loses it in dramatic fashion when his daughter becomes a political activist and terrorist during the Vietnam War.  American Pastoral, adapted by John Romano (The Lincoln Lawyer) is set to start principal photography early next year.  Hit the jump for more.

Deadline reports that the Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment production of American Pastoral will be helmed by Stevens.  Stevens is currently working on another project for the production duo: Stand Up Guys, starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Julianna Marguiles.  Check out the synopsis from the press release below:

American Pastoral is a pivotal story depicting the destruction of the American dream. Protagonist Seymour “Swede” Levov, a legendary high school athlete, grows up to marry a former beauty queen and inherits his father’s business. Swede’s seemingly perfect life shatters when his daughter rebels by becoming a revolutionary and commits a savage act of political terrorism during the Vietnam War.

Lakeshore chairman, Tom Rosenberg commented on the project as follows:

“Philip Roth is the great American author of our time. Fisher shares our passion for Roth’s literature, and he is a unique storyteller with his multi-layered past in the business as an actor, producer and director. Stand Up Guys has been a fantastic experience, and we are thrilled to work with Fisher again.”

Look for Stand Up Guys in theaters next year.

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