New Untouchables Movie & New Matt Damon Movies!

Paramount has hired screenwriters David Levien and Brian Koppelman - who just rewrote Brett Ratner's Josiah's Canon - to write The Untouchables: Capone Rising a prequel to the 1987 film to be directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, King Arthur).

The film will center on Capone and the early version of Irish cop Jimmy Malone, who is as crooked as every other Chicago cop until Capone becomes king of the underworld.

"The film starts on the eve of Capone's arrival, and while Malone wasn't the most corrupt cop, he operated at a time when every cop was on the take," Levien told the trade. "Once he crosses paths with Capone, he sees a level of violence and criminality that causes him to have a moral awakening."

"This period of Capone's life hasn't been done since the movies of the '40s and '50s," Koppelman added. "Sherry Lansing and Donald De Line said feel free to come up with the most compelling, dark, violent and complicated guy you've ever seen."

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Moviehole caught up with Matt Damon today in Australia, where he's promoting The Bourne Supremacy, and asked him about his upcoming slate. Here's a summary of what he's got coming, thanks to 'Clint':

Feast - Damon laughs when asked how much decision he had in deciding which movie the winner gets to make. "You'll see on one of the first episodes of Project Greenlight me having this big argument – a total meltdown actually – with the guys from [studio] Dimension. They walked in and basically chose that movie Feast for us. It was supposed to be a community decision. I was like 'what the f**k is going on'?" he chuckles.

Ocean's Thirteen - Acting wise, we'll see Damon next in "Oceans Twelve", another sequel, this one a follow-up to "Oceans Eleven". "I really like those Oceans movies. I'm proud to be a part of them. I haven't seen it yet, but yeah, I like playing the guy who's kind of hiding in the corner". Damon says the cast – which also includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts - are keen to make a third "Oceans" movie. "I know all the actors would keep going with it. Carl Reiner said to me the other day 'Tell me if we're doing a third one, because I'll stay alive for it'", he laughs. "It's a lot of heavy lifting for Steven [Soderbergh, the director], but if he wants to do it, everyone will do it".

The Bourne Ultimatum - Damon says he looks forward to kicking and punching his way through a third round – called "The Bourne Ultimatum" – if all the elements come together. "They [the studio] definitely want one now. It's a great place to be in, because now we can kind of just stick back and listen to people's different ideas on what the third one should be. And if there is a third one... I'm going to have to do it". Paul Greengrass is keen to helm the next chapter too, says Damon, which pleases him greatly. "He and I talked about it and he's open to the idea. The one fear with this movie [Supremacy] is that the director has such success that they get offered everything under the sun and want have time to come back and do the next sequel."

The Departed - "[The Departed] is one we're going to shoot in Boston next Summer, so I'm really excited about that. Scorsese hadn't even seen Infernal Affairs believe it or not, he knew what he needed from the screenplay and I don't think he wants it to affect his own thinking".

Syriana - "Syriana, that's what I'm about to do now. It's not a role that keeps me up at night wondering how I'm going to pull it off, but I think it does have a chance to be a good movie. Steve Gaghan wrote it, he's the guy that directed Traffic, and he's directing this. Steve's really ready for this one. It's like Traffic but it's about Oil, instead of Drugs. It should be pretty cool", he says. "Clooney's in it, Amanda Peet plays my wife, Geoffrey Wright is in it, Chris Cooper's got a little part... it's like Traffic, the stories are all interwoven, and swim around one topic. I have one scene with George for instance; we have very limited interaction with one another. We're kind of in our own storylines", he explains.

The Brothers Grimm - We'll also see Damon starring opposite our own Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's "Brothers Grimm", which has postponed for release until sometime next year. "Terry doesn't have the final cut yet and they've also got to do the special effects – and it's a pretty effects heavy movie. In the second and third acts there's a bunch of effects stuff. I've seen the film, it's good. It's going to be a really good movie".