Jennifer Lawrence is making a big change in her career. Hint: She’s not going to be on camera this time.
The 25-year-old actress is essentially the queen of Hollywood lately. While she has achieved a great deal of success, and is basically guaranteed an Oscar nomination every year, it seems that she wants to expand her involvement in the industry and take her turn as a comedy director. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence expressed her interest in being a director -- and it turns out she is already attached to a developing film. She said:
I’ve signed on to direct something called Project Delirium — it’s based on this article about mental warfare in the ’60s, like an acid experiment gone terribly wrong.
J-Law working behind the camera? I volunteer as tribute to see this bad boy.
The project does seem like quite an undertaking. Project Delirium is based on an article published in The New Yorker profiling Colonel James S. Ketchum, the leader of a cold war experiment that entailed fighting enemy troops with psychochemicals. Considering that Jennifer Lawrence wants to direct comedies, Project Delirium is sure to be a challenging directorial debut. Then again, if anyone could make a cold war experiment funny, it’s going to be the equally brilliant and bizarre brain of Lawrence.
Lawrence first gained public and critical notoriety following her Oscar-winning performance in Silver Linings Playbook, as well as her role as heroine Katniss Everdeen in the The Hunger Games franchise. After developing a good working relationship with Playbook director David O. Russell, she has gone on to star in one of his films almost every year afterward.
Lawrence and Russell will once again collaborate in the already Oscar-buzzed film Joy, which is set to release on Christmas Day. J-Law will star as the titular character, and trailers are already garnering early critical praise.
While Lawrence has mostly made her career as an actress, she is noted for having a unique perspective and voice, and her unfiltered interviews (she quickly became one of David Letterman’s favorite guests in his last few seasons on The Late Show). Just last month, she published an essay recounting her experience with gender inequality in the film industry.
Lawrence has recently become close with actress/writer/director Amy Schumer, and the two of them are set to appear in a movie together, as well as co-write the screenplay.
Clearly, Queen Jennifer is expanding her influence and role in Hollywood. While still bringing her sense of vulnerability and perspective to her acting performances, I wouldn’t be surprised if she quickly transitioned into an accomplished director and screenwriter. Project Delerium is sure to be a film with an exciting new vision, and I'm eager to see how she continues to develop.
Plus, the powerful role of director will ensure that Jennier Lawrence never again has to ask, “Where’s the Pizza?!”
