Philip Seymour Hoffman Makes Film Directorial Debut with 'BOATING'

Variety reports that Philip Seymour Hoffman has picked the film he'll be doing for his directorial debut, Overture Films' "Jack Goes Boating," an adaptation of Bob Glaudini's Off Broadway play in which he'll also star. "Gone Baby Gone"  star Amy Ryan will co-star opposite Hoffman, while John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega will reprise their roles from the stage production.

"Jack Goes Boating" premiered at Hoffman and Ortiz's LAByrinth Theater Co. in  2007.

Press notes described the play as "laced with cooking classes, swimming lessons and a smorgasbord of illegal drugs, "Jack Goes Boating" is a story of date panic, marital meltdown, betrayal and the prevailing grace of the human spirit".

The film will begin production in New York City on Febuary 9th.

Hoffman can currently be seen in "Doubt" and voices the toon "Mary and Max," which opened the Sundance Film Festival.

LAByrinth Theater Company was founded in 1992 by a group of actors who wanted to push their artistic limits, hone their craft, and create new plays that truly reflected their heritage and  experience. Today, LAByrinth is comprised of 115 established and emerging theater artists from a wide array of cultural perspectives. The inclusive, multicultural ensemble encourages all members to write, act, direct, and design, and supports multidisciplinary growth and exploration in the creation of daring new work that celebrates the diversity of its New York City home.

The 2008-09 Season marked LAByrinth Theater Company's sixth season in residence at The Public Theater. LAB and the Sydney Theatre Company are Associate Companies of Trafalgar Studios in London (Ambassador Theatre Group), who aim to produce and exchange work on a regular basis, and to give LAB's writers and actors a stage in London. 

Now in its seventeenth season, LAByrinth has developed over 300 new plays and staged 51
productions, including The Little Flower of East Orange and Unconditional (2008), A
View from 151 Street and Jack Goes Boating (2007), A Small, Melodramatic Story and
School of The Americas (2006), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (2005), Sailor's Song
and Guinea Pig Solo (2004), Dutch Heart of Man and Dirty Story (2003), Our Lady of
121 Street (2002), Where's My Money? (2001), Jesus Hopped the ‘A' Train (2000), and
In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings (1999).

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski