We first heard word of a project called Hereafter late last year, with Clint Eastwood possibly directing and Steven Spielberg also being involved. Fast forward about 10 months and we learn, by way of The Hollywood Reporter, that Eastwood will, indeed, direct the film, and stepping into the lead role is Matt Damon. The project will reunite the two after they just worked together on the not-yet-released Nelson Mandela pic, Invictus.

Eastwood will direct the supernatural thriller from an original script by Frost/Nixon writer, Peter Morgan. DreamWorks first acquired the script from Morgan last year, and very early on it piqued the interest of Eastwood. [See UPDATE below for details on plot] I imagine Eastwood is a filmmaker who takes subject matter very seriously when he’s considering directing a film, and so his interest being caught early on must mean Morgan’s script is well worth making a fuss over.

This week:

Spielberg and Eastwood visit the Hereafter; Len Wiseman drives a Motorcade; Guillermo del Toro plays with Pinocchio; George Miller has Happy Feet again and Matthew McConaughey and David O. Russell fight with The Grackle.