Michael Mann, Paul Haggis Find "Gold"

Although his name may not come to mind as quickly as let's say Scorcese when thinking of the best director's in Hollywood, there's no doubt that Michael Mann is one of the top helmers working.

Through his career he has made some amazing films including "Heat," "The Last of the Mohicans," "Manhunter" and "The Insider" and for one of his next projects the great director is teaming with one of Hollywood's best filmmakers.

According to Heat Vision Mann ("Heat") and Paul Haggis ("Crash") are teaming for the contemporary thriller "Gold."

Described as being in the vein of Bogart classic "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," the story revolves around a ruthless search for the precious metal. Haggis was initially drawn to the script, but other projects took his attention.

TV producers Patrick Massett and John Zinman ("Friday Night Lights") wrote the script and the plan now is to develop and package the project, with Mann directing and Haggis producing.

While no actors are attached at this time this project has a boat load of potential. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is one of the best films of all time and combining the talents of Mann and Haggis to bring this story to fruition is just a dream come true. Mann has shown through his career that no matter the location, story or subject matter, he can bring out some amazing performances and this film should have no shortage of dramatic moments.

Mann has worked with some big named stars in the past, including Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp, Daniel Day Lewis, Tom Cruise and more, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see someone with some start power in the main role.

While the film is still in the early stages more news should come about in the next few months.

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.