Warren Beatty preps new film for Paramount

Warren Beatty has written, produced and directed fewer films in his entire career than Steven Soderbergh has in the past three years. The connection? As Soderbergh prepares to retire, Beatty is getting ready to stage a comeback.

According to Deadline, Beatty is setting up a new comedy at Paramount. Details are scarce, but Beatty has committed to starring, writing, producing and directing the feature.

His last directorial effort was 1998’s Bulworth, and his last screen performance was in the colossal box office failure Town and Country. Although those features aren’t exactly part of filmmaking lore, Beatty has been credited with helping kick off the New Hollywood movement with Bonnie and Clyde, wrote (and reportedly shadow-directed) the iconic Shampoo and went on to helm Heaven Can Wait and Reds.

He is the only person to be nominated in four Oscar categories in the same year … twice.

Discuss: I’m reading Peter Biskind’s Beatty biography Star at the moment, and am greatly excited to see a new chapter of his long-stagnant career play out. What say you?