He's either really hot right now, or he's indecisive. Just last week we heard that Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress) would be directing The Maintenance Man, which he had decided to do instead of Tulia (now to be helmed by John Singleton). Today The Hollywood Reporter has Franklin linked to another project, a thriller at New Line titled Snitch. Of course, he could be lining up the film as his next job following The Maintenance Man. But the only thing THR mentions as being on his slate is an episode of HBO's upcoming miniseries The Pacific. Personally, I would be fine if Franklin abandoned The Maintenance Man, which sounds beneath him, but I'd also like to see him make up his mind. It's been four years since his last release, Out of Time.

Snitch seems like a good project for the director. Written by Justin Haythe (The Clearing) and based on an episode of PBS' Frontline documentary series from 1999, the film will focus on Joey Settembrino, an 18-year-old looking at about 30 years in prison for selling drugs after being ratted out by a snitch. To help his son get off with a lighter sentence, Joey's father goes undercover in an attempt to deliver other drug dealers to the feds, a plan that was actually suggested by the government. I'm picturing a movie similar to Paul Schrader's Hardcore, which is about a father doing detective work in an underworld setting in order to save his daughter. Frontline producer David Fanning will also be producing the adaptation along with Haythe and Spitfire Pictures' Guy East and Nigel Sinclair. As far as I know, it will be the first movie spun-off from the series.

Now that Carl Franklin has chosen The Maintenance Man as his next project, he is no longer attached to Tulia, the project reuniting Oscar-winner Halle Berry with her Monster's Ball co-star Billy Bob Thornton. Too bad, since it also would have reunited Franklin with his One False Move screenwriter/actor -- again, Thornton. Filling in for Franklin, according to Blackfilm.com, is John Singleton. While this isn't officially confirmed yet, it does make sense for the Boyz n the Hood director to take over a ready-made production while he waits and waits for that Luke Cage greenlight. If it is true, I wonder if Singleton will do another re-write of the screenplay, which was originally adapted by Karen Croner (Franklin's One True Thing) and then supposedly rewritten by Franklin.

As we told you back in March, Tulia is based on Nate Blakeslee's book Tulia: Race, Cocaine and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, which tells the true story of 46 racially profiled men arrested in a drug-less drug bust in Texas in 1999. Berry will play the lead attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense, a character Blackfilm.com notes is Indian, not African-American (it's true). Thornton also joined the project back in March, but we still don't know his role (Erik imagines he'll be the racist cop who aids in the conviction of the 46 men) and Blackfilm claims that Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard) may be added to the cast. The film was set to begin shooting back in April, but Thornton supposedly had a scheduling conflict. Hopefully Singleton, who is no stranger lately to race-based legal battles, won't need too much time to become acquainted with the project and it can start lensing soon.

Actor-turned-director Carl Franklin last gave us the 2003 Denzel Washington pic Out of Time, and though he's lately been linked to the Halle Berry-Billy Bob Thornton reunion known as Tulia, his next film will be actually be The Maintenance Man, which Variety says will begin shooting later this year. Based on the novel by Michael Baisden, it will tell the story of a Julliard grad who becomes a gigolo after realizing there's more money in prostitution than in music (who knew?). Eventually he falls in love with a woman I assume isn't one of his clients and realizes he needs to stop leading a double-life he lies to her about. The film will presumably be different from American Gigolo, Loverboy and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, in that it will be "urban-themed". Apparently Screen Gems is hot for these "urban-themed" films and is currently working on a black-cast remake of The Big Chill and First Sunday, starring Ice Cube. Too bad Ladies Man already covered the black gigolo department for us.

Baisden's novel was previously adapted into a direct-to-video movie featuring Billy Dee Williams, which doesn't seem to have been very popular. Franklin's version will probably be better, but it still sounds like pretty lame material for the man who gave us Devil in a Blue Dress and One False Move. Unless he somehow involves Washington (who is unfortunately too old for the lead) and takes the main character's conscience struggle seriously and doesn't have a lot of comedic sequences involving married women's husbands coming home, I don't see the film being much better than the first movie version. A script for Franklin's The Maintenance Man has been written by Baisden and Ralph Farquhar (Krush Groove).

Back when I first told you about Tulia, Halle Berry had signed on to star and it appeared as if the actress was attempting to find a role that proved her Best Actress Oscar was not some random fluke. Well, what a better way to convince people than to bring on your Monster's Ball (the film for which she won that Oscar) co-star Billy Bob Thornton. The two will reunite on the big screen for the first time since Ball on Tulia; yet another racially-charged drama that will hopefully help people forget all about that silly Catwoman picture.

Based on Nate Blakeslee's book Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, pic revolves around an ACLU lawyer (Berry) who fights to expose police corruption after 46 black men are arrested and convicted following a sting operation where no drugs, money or illegal weapons were ever found. Carl Franklin (Out of Time) re-wrote Karen Croner's script and will direct. There's no word on who Thornton will play, but I imagine he will take on the part of corrupt racist cop -- a role that's similar to the racist prison guard he played in Monster's Ball. A co-production between Element Films and Lift Films, shooting is set to begin next month in and around New Orleans.