Paul Haggis Works In The "Third Person"

Writer-director Paul Haggis has been working on quality projects throughout his entire career, so anytime he dips his hand into a new one, my ears perk up.

Early in his career he worked on TV, on solid shows such as "thirtysomething" and "LA Law," before breaking out big time by writing the features "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash," which was one of the most polarizing Best Picture winners in recent memory. The film about a diverse group of people from Southern California pulled no punches in its focus on race, and either you were a big fan of the story or felt it was way to melodramatic to be a winner.

Personally, I was a fan of the film, especially how Haggis was able to bring the characters together and paint an honest portrait of the difficulties people can face. With that in mind, its welcome news to hear from The Los Angeles Times that Haggis is set to work on another ensemble drama along the same lines as "Crash."

Titled "Third Person," the story will follow three different couples living in different countries. This time around, his film explores issues of romance rather than race. To allow for a deeper exploration of each character, the film will follow only the three storylines rather than the six or so employed in "Crash."

Haggis wants to do a serious story about modern relationships set against scenic locales, two of which will be New York City and Rome. The tone will be much darker than current romance ensembles such as the comedy "Valentine's Day," and one of the characters will be a writer.

Haggis hasn't taken the project to a studio yet and hopes to do the project without one, but either way, this will be an award contender once the time comes. After seeing the cast he assembled for "Crash," Haggis should have no trouble attracting stars to this project.

Haggis has shown that he is apt at capturing the reality of romance and relationships including in "Crash" and also on the film "The Last Kiss." No matter who ends up being cast in the film, it seems as if Haggis has another winning idea on his hands.