Paul Verhoeven Doing What Now?

Well, uh, here's something I wasn't expecting to read today, though I might have been less blindsided had I seen this Cinematical post from a year ago. Paul Verhoeven -- he of Robocop, Showgirls, Basic Instinct and Starship Troopers (and Black Book, yes, but the contrast's not as much fun) -- is... publishing a biography of Jesus! Co-written by Rob Van Scheers (who also wrote... a biography of Paul Verhoeven!), the book is reportedly based on 20 years of research by the director, and looks to be a historical rather than a Biblical account of Jesus's life. The book will make some controversial claims, such as that Jesus was the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her, and that he was not in fact betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

Awesome. With all deference to Verhoeven, I'm not sure how much he can possibly have to contribute to such a well-trodden subject. A note at the end of the Hollywood Reporter story may go a long way toward explaining the existence of the book: Verhoeven has long aspired to make a historically-grounded movie about Jesus, and hopes this book will generate interest in such a project. The book comes out in September, and I, uh... can't wait to read it? Maybe I can write a review, at least if it's released in English as well as Dutch.

As far as we know, when he's not researching Jesus, Verhoeven is still in pre-production for The Thomas Crown Affair 2.