Tim Robbins began a second career as a director in the 1990s with Bob Roberts (1992), Dead Man Walking (1995), and Cradle Will Rock (1999).  He took a break from features after that, though he directed a few television projects in the years since, including two episodes of Treme.  Robbins is ready to return to the big screen, as THR announces that the actor/director has signed a deal with Endgame Entertainment to helm City of Lies.  Captain America screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely will adapt the Arthur Phillips short story Wenceslas Square, which follows two spies who fall in love while on separate missions in Prague.  Phillips read an abridged version of the story on This American Life.

TAL‘s Ira Glass and Alissa Shipp will produce along with Douglas E. Hansen (An Education) and Endgame’s James D. Stern (The Raven).  Philip Noyce was previously attached to direct before Robbins came on board.

Having just wrapped post-production on the spy flick Salt, starring Angelina Jolie as a CIA spook accused of working for the Russians – which I predict will be the at least slightly surprisingly monster hit of the summer when it comes out July 23 – director Phillip Noyce is already booked for more spy games.

According to Variety, he’s been tapped to helm the spy thriller Wenceslas Square, based on the short story by Arthur Phillips and with a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It’s set in Prague in the late Cold War era and revolves around a young CIA officer and a beautiful Czech spy. Endgame, which is producing this, is said to be “fast-tracking” it, so stay tuned for more details on it probably very soon.

What I’d really like to see Noyce, easily one of my favorites, direct is that adaptation of Philip Roth’s American Pastoral, but that seems to be on hold, perhaps forever. In the meantime, I love me some spy games, so bring all this on.