I can't wait to check out American Gangster this weekend, and apparently Universal and Imagine are pretty high on it as well. They're already working on another true crime drama about men on opposing sides of the law. They have bought the rights to make "The Knife," an investigative article by Guy Lawson, into a feature film. The intriguingly-haired Brian Grazer will produce. "The Knife" will be published in the January issue of GQ. Lawson is quite the hot writer right now, HBO is making his book The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia into a mini-series produced by Dick Wolf.

According to Variety, the title of "The Knife" refers to "the code name given to a Crips member in South Central who became an informant and collaborated for a decade with FBI agent Tim Flaherty to crack murder, drug and arms-deal cases." Sweeeeet. I love crime movies. The gang member's identity is still being kept secret, apparently he's living a Henry Hill-style life. Who do you see in these roles? Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are two of the best actors in the game, but they're somewhat safe choices for their roles in American Gangster. Let's say you're a casting director -- who would you cast as the gang member and Flaherty? I'd like to see a fresh pairing, maybe...Chris Tucker and Paul Giamatti? Check out James' American Gangster review here and Ryan's junket report on the film here.

The next project for Angelina Jolie will be a Clint Eastwood film about corruption in the LAPD, Variety reported last night. The Changeling, from a script by J. Michael Straczynski (World War Z), has been fast-tracked by Universal Pictures, the studio that housed Jolie's last film, the C.I.A. drama The Good Shepherd. Production is slated to begin in late 2007, with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard producing, along with Malpaso honcho Rob Lorenz. The story is based on events that occurred in 1920s L.A., but it's not clear whether a historical or contemporary approach will be taken with the project.

Jolie's role will be that of a woman whose son is abducted and then returned -- but she thinks the child that's returned is not hers. Somehow this leads into a revelation of deep-seated corruption in the LAPD. According to the article, Ron Howard was originally tapped to direct the film, but ultimately turned it down in favor of adapting "Frost/Nixon" into a feature film. Jolie will next be seen in A Mighty Heart, the story of Mariane and Daniel Pearl, and will lend her voice to Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf as Grendel's mother. Interestingly, the Variety article also gives some credence to the notion that that Jolie has made a firm time-commitment to her long-time pet project Atlas Shrugged, which Randall Wallace has written for Lionsgate. Cinematical asked Jolie directly in December what the status of Atlas Shrugged was, and you can read her response here.

Just when you thought Hollywood was running out of original ideas, along comes Brian Grazer and his wife, Gigi Levangie Grazer, who have decided to partner up (she's writing, and he's producing) on a film called Prodigal Son that asks the simple question: Hey, what if Jesus worked as a carpenter at Ikea? I absolutely kid you not, folks -- the romantic comedy revolves around a single woman who, after being set up on a blind date by her mother, discovers that her companion (a handsome carpenter from Ikea) is actually Jesus Christ. Seriously. Why is Jesus here and working at Ikea? See, he's returned for Armageddon and, well, decided to kill time in Los Angeles. I guess they don't call it the City of Angels for nothing. (Why did I just envision that scene from Coming to America where Eddie Murphy looks at the globe and settles on Queens because he figures that's the perfect place to find his Queen?)

While some might find the idea sort of quirky and fun, the Grazers will be very careful not to offend anyone -- after all, Universal Pictures is involved and if they make the wrong move, it could turn into a public relations nightmare for the major studio. Says the female Grazer, "It's a love it or hate it idea, but we're not aiming to offend. He won't be having sex. It'll be a disarming romantic comedy, a story of unrequited love, sort of like Splash." Personally, I think it sounds pretty lame -- the kind of thing that shows up as an original film on The Family Channel on Christmas Eve -- but I respect Brian Grazer and think he's a fantastic producer.

Where does this one sit with you? Is it too corny, too controversial or could you see it entertaining if done right?