Douglas Hails The King

Director Alexander Payne and Producer Michael London hit a goldmine with the huge 2004 success Sideways. So naturally they're going to try their hand at something new together, acting as producers.

Apparentely they like exploring oddball male characters. According to Variety, their next endeavor will be The King Of California, starring Michael Douglas. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with royalty. It's about a teenage girl who is finding her life difficult (join the club, sweetheart). Her life gets more complicated when her manic-depressive father (Douglas) becomes fixated on the belief that the San Fernando Valley is flowing with buried treasure, waiting to be discovered.

The movie marks the feature directing debut of Michael Cahill, who wrote a novel called "A Nixon Man." It won the Faulkner Prize, so it's probably worth picking up if you haven't already. Shooting begins in February.