McConaughey comedy lands a director

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - David O. Russell is in negotiations to direct Matthew McConaughey in the Southern-fried comedy "The Grackle."

The New Orleans-set tale centres on a barroom fighter who helps clients settle legal disputes with his fists.

"The Grackle" was a spec-script sensation for former lawyers Mike Arnold and Chris Poole several years ago, and New Line Cinema won a bidding war with for an amount said to be in the seven figures.

After the initial frenzy in the summer of 2006, some thought a director would quickly follow, but news on the project levelled off before firing up again earlier this year.

The project represents one of the first New Line titles to move ahead after the studio was folded into Warner Bros. earlier this year.

Russell is known more for quirky comedies such as "Three Kings" and "Flirting With Disaster." He just wrapped "Nailed," about a small-town waitress in Washington, D.C.

McConaughey returns to theatres next year in New Line's upcoming "The Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past," starring opposite Jennifer Garner in the tale of a bachelor haunted by past loves.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter