Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Alcon Entertainment has acquired an untitled screenplay written by newcomer Jack Paglen that will mark the feature directorial debut of Wally Pfister, the Oscar-winning cinematographer whose credits include Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Moneyball. The deal was made by Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, who’ll start pre-production immediately for an early fall shoot.

The logline is being kept under wraps, but the screenplay was developed by Annie Marter and Straight Up Films, whose principals include Marisa Polvino, Kate Cohen and Regency Boies. Polvino, Cohen and Marter will produce along with Johnson and Kosove. Boies will co-produce.

“We have been talking to Wally about making his directorial debut with Alcon for over a decade since we all worked together on Insomnia,” Johnson and Kosove said in a statement. “Wally is truly one of the most talented artists with whom we have ever collaborated. To now have the opportunity to work with Wally as a director on this truly remarkable project, is a company highlight for Alcon Entertainment.”

Pfister won his Oscar for Inception, one of seven films he has made with director Chris Nolan, starting with Memento. While this is his first feature, Pfister has directed commercials for several years and gained notice for his powerful work on PSAs for The Montana Meth Project, alongside directors Darren Aronofsky, Tony Kaye, and Alejandro Inarritu.

Pfister and Paglen are repped by ICM.