Director James Bobin is now onboard to direct the spy film Agent Zigzag.  The Muppets director will helm the adaptation of the Ben McIntyre novel for New Line and Playtone Pictures, with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman producing.  The story centers on a professional criminal who became a double agent during World War II.  “He won the trust of German intelligence services even as he reported back to the spymasters of MI5.”  Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock) was hired to write the script early last year for Mike Newell (Prince of Persia) to direct, but it appears Newell is no longer with the project.

Agent Zigzag is a bit of a change of pace for Bobin, as last year’s The Muppets was his feature directorial debut following stints on comedy series like Da Alie G Show and The Flight of the Conchords, but the novel apparently includes farcical elements.  Hit the jump for more, including a synopsis of the novel.

Rowan Joffe (The American) has signed on to script a WikiLeaks movie co-produced by HBO and the BBC.  According to Variety, Joffe’s script will focus on “the story of the database run by former hacker and internet activist Julian Assange and his operatives, whose mission is to collect and disseminate via the Internet private, secret and classified information from anonymous sources.” After releasing thousands of sensitive government documents, Assange was at the center of a maelstrom of controversy and news coverage last year, in turn multiple feature projects.  Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) will produce one, Josephson Entertainment and Michelle Krumm Productions optioned an Assange biography in the works, and Alex Gibney (Casino Jack and the United States of Money) will direct a WikiLeaks documentary.  Charles Ferguson (Inside Job) is on board as director for the HBO/BBC project.

Joffe’s feature directorial debut, Brighton Rock, premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.  His most recent assignments are all adaptations: Before I Go to Sleep, Agent Zigzag, and Great Expectations.

Writer-director Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock) will pen the adaptation of the non-fiction novel Agent Zigzag for director Mike Newell (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time)  Per Deadline, “Agent Zigzag tells the true story of Eddie Chapman, a suave thief/seducer who became a double agent during WWII working for both Germany and Britain.”  I love that “seducer” is on the same job title as “thief” and “double-agent”.  I hope Mr. Zigzag put that on his resume.

In addition to Brighton Rock, Joffe also wrote the screenplay for The American and 28 Weeks Later.  In September, we reported that he has been hired to adapt Steve Watson’s debut novel Before I Go to Sleep. Last week, Newell signed on to direct a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.

The first trailer is online for writer-director Rowan Joffé’s Brighton Rock, the second silver screen adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Graham Greene. Brighton Rock is Joffé’s first feature film as director, although he is already renowned as a screenwriter for 28 Weeks Later and The American, and is said to be a re-imagining of the book rather than a remake of the 1947 film.  Brighton Rock depicts the curious relationship between a young British gangster and a tea room waitress who witnessed a crime he committed. Sam Riley, whose last big feature was his breakout role as Ian Curtis in Control, stars as main character, Pinkie, alongside Andrea Riseborough (Made In Dagenham) as his love interest, Rose. Andy Serkis, Helen Mirren and John Hurt also star.

Hit the jump for the trailer.  Brighton Rock is to be released in the UK on February 4, 2011, but there’s no word yet on when it opens in the US.

Writer-director Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock) is set to adapt Steve Watson’s debut novel Before I Go to Sleep.  Variety reports that the story is about “a young woman who, after a night of partying, wakes up to discover that she has aged beyond recognition.”  I like how the book is described as a “psychological thriller” when that logline could just as easily be applied to an Anna Faris comedy.

Joffe penned the script for The American, and his directorial debut, Brighton Rock, is currently playing at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Before I Go to Sleep will be produced under Ridley and Tony Scott’s production company, Scott Free.  StudioCanal will executive produce.

Yesterday we posted the first images from writer/director Guy Moshe’s Bunraku and Werner Herzog’s first 3D movie Cave of Forgotten Dreams.  Like I said in the intros, we’ve been given a ton of first look images from a lot of the movies premiering at the Festivals over the next few weeks, and we’ll be posting tons of them every day for the foreseeable future.  Anyway, today we continue our first look series with writer/director Mike Mills (Thumbsucker) Beginners and writer/director Rowan Joffe’s Brighton Rock.  The two films star Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Control’s Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, and Helen Mirren.  Hit the jump for the images and the synopses.  Both sound like they’re worth your time:

George Clooney continues to do no wrong.  The actor has been on a roll for the past couple of years and the one thing that I’ve come to love from the man is that he keeps on picking interesting films and working with only the best (or most promising new) directors.  The latest director to be blessed by Clooney is going to be Anton Corbijn for his new movie “The American”.  The long time famed music video director finally made his debut film with “Control” in 2007 and if you’ve seen the film, then you know why you should be excited about this one.  To find out all the details, just hit the jump.