007 veteran stuntman Simon Crane close to directing a new thriller

Few moviedom figures have had such an effect on action films without ever directing one as Simon Crane. The veteran stunt coordinator has choreographed the chases in numerous James Bond films, orchestrated Leonardo DiCaprio's running through soaked decks in "Titanic" and helped Angelina Jolie jump trucks in last summer's "Salt." -- repots LA times

Crane was set to make his directing debut with "Kane & Lynch," a video game adaptation starring Bruce Willis, but he opted out. He's still aiming to direct "Echelon," a Europe-set, Jason Statham-starring action thriller involving a piece of coveted intelligence.

Now there's an intriguing new project in the mix for Crane. He's attached to direct a new film titled "High Wire."

The movie is written by James Solomon, the screenwriter of this weekend's Lincoln assassination drama "The Conspirator." Solomon describes "Wire" as a New York-set thriller with a strong emotional component. The independent will be produced by Nick Saunders, a former assistant to Orlando Bloom.

In an email, Crane acknowledged that he was onboard, though he noted it was still early and that "Echelon" would likely come first.

In the age of computer-generated effects, many stunt coordinators have lost the art of physical action. Soon one will get a chance to try to recover it himself.

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