Brad & Jen: Still Coworkers

Tue., Jan. 25, 2005 1:40 PM PST by Sarah Hall

Brad and Jen may be history, but their production company will soldier on.

The future of the former power couple's Plan B Entertainment shingle, formed with new Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey, has been the subject of much speculation since Pitt and Aniston announced their split.

Now reps for both stars say they hope to remain producing partners and that Plan B will continue putting out films in the meantime.

However, with Pitt and Aniston readjusting to the single life and Grey getting used to life atop the 'mount, it's possible that certain Plan B projects in earlier stages of development could eventually be dropped.

That has more to do with Pitt and Aniston's future relations than the viability of the production slate. Should the camera-friendly couple's so-far friendly split turn into an ugly divorce, it's more likely that the Friends star and the Se7en hunk would quarrel over box-office profits rather than try to stall movies close to completion, the latter of which could open them up to litigation from other people involved in the projects.

As of now, the shingle has plenty of high-profile titles to work with.

Included on that list is A Mighty Heart, Mariane Pearl's account of the kidnapping and murder in Pakistan of her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. A script for the project is currently being developed.

Also in the works is a film adaptation of Augusten Burrough's memoir of his troubled childhood, Running with Scissors. Annette Bening is attached to star in the picture and shooting is expected to begin in the spring.

Oscar-nominated Aviator director Martin Scorsese will direct crime thriller The Departed, starring fellow Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as Oscar winner Matt Damon. The project is also scheduled to start shooting in the spring.

Plan B is also developing a big-screen version of Audrey Niffenegger's best-selling love story, The Time Traveler's Wife, about a man who is chronologically challenged and time-travels against his will. The script is completed and the search for a director is underway.

Finally, the production company is at work on a film adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, about an autistic boy who tries to solve a dog's murder. Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves is writing the script.

This summer, Plan B is set to release Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp.

Meanwhile, Pitt, who was said to be taking a post-Ocean's Twelve break from acting to focus on other interests, such as humanitarian interests and architecture, is apparently ready to get back in the flow.

Per Daily Variety, the thesp has signed on to star as gunslinger Jesse James in his first leading role developed by Plan B in a big-screen adaptation of the Robert Hansen novel The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Warner Bros. will distribute the pic, which will be helmed by Kevin McCormick.

Aniston, who has at least half a dozen movies in the works over the next couple of years, will next be seen in the comedy Rumor Has It, due out on April 15.