DreamWorks moves ahead with Motorcade, Cowboys and Aliens, comic adaptation Button Man and much more

Button Man book cover
Button Man book cover
Now that DreamWorks is officially an indie again, The Hollywood Reporter writes that the studio has prioritized a number of long-in-development projects. According to the reports, they haven’t greenlit everything, but are in the midst of making deals and finalizing scripts.

Below is a partial list of projects that are on the front-burner.

Button Man
This is a graphic novel adaptation being penned by Hillary Seitz. The graphic novel was written by Arthur Ranson and John Wagner, and tells the story of a former mercenary named Harry Exton, who is recruited into a game in which retired soldiers are sponsored by wealthy investors (called Voices, because they’re only heard on the telephone) to fight it out gladiator-style in a variety of settings, including the English countryside, abandoned tenements and the streets of London.

Motorcade
Tells the story of terrorists commandeering the presidential motorcade in Los Angeles. DreamWorks is speaking with Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld) to direct the project, working from a script by Billy Ray, who just completed a script for the Westworld remake, which is setup at Warner Brothers.

Hereafter
Clint Eastwood is in talks to direct this supernatural thriller from an original script by Peter Morgan. Plot details are being kept secret, but the film is described as in the vein of The Sixth Sense.

The Trial of the Chicago 7
Ben Stiller has been attached to helm this live-action film, based on the true story of anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Aaron Sorkin wrote the script for the project, which is due in theaters December of 2009.

Cowboys and Aliens
The loooong-in-development epic comic book adaptation is now being re-written by Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci, the duo behind the blockbusters Transformers, and the upcoming Star Trek revival. Ron Howard is producing and may direct the sci-fi project, which is based on a series that pits old west cowboys against vicious aliens, with Robert Downey Jr. starring.