According to Twitch, Rupert Sanders may be the man to helm the upcoming Van Helsing film, which Tom Cruise is currently attached to. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are set to pen the script and production will likely begin once Cruise is done with All You Need Is Kill.
Universal was pleased with Sanders’ work on Snow White and The Huntsman and if it wasn’t for his highly publicized affair with the film’s star Kristen Stewart, the studio would have no issue with him returning for the sequel.
But now, with all the bad buzz surrounding the duo (Stewart and Sanders), it would be a poor decision to have him helm Snow White and the Huntsman 2. Really, nothing good can come of that.
That being said, the studio obviously wants to keep him close and I can see why. Snow White and the Huntsman, while by no means a perfect film, was impressive on a number of levels, especially when it came to visuals and the overall vision.
Rupert Sanders does have talent as a director, there’s no doubt about that, and Van Helsing seems like an apt project for him to helm. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing this at all and in fact, I think it’s a smart move on Universal’s part.
This way, they separate him from the Snow White and the Huntsman franchise and are still able to keep him in their pocket. It’s a win-win for everyone, right?
The director is apparently in “early and casual” talks with the studio but given the circumstances, I bet that we’ll be hearing confirmation on this very shortly.