Robert Lorenz To Direct ‘Hardcourt’ — Cannes Market

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Lorenz (In The Land of Saints) is attached to direct Hardcourt, a new feature written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant). 

Ehud Bleiberg is producing through his namesake banner, along with Ariel Bleiberg, Robert Deege, and Suzanne Lyons’ Snowfall Films. Production on the film is set to begin in early 2027. Casting is said to be underway. Bleiberg will handle worldwide sales rights and is presenting the project at the Cannes Market.

The project is described as a psychological thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and Basic Instinct. The story follows a respected college basketball coach who is accused of murdering his mistress. 

The official synopsis reads: “When his wife hires one of his former players and her ex-lover (now a top attorney) to defend her husband, old rivalries and resentments surface on the path to get to the bottom of the crime.” 

Smith’s recent credits include the George Clooney-directed Boys in the Boat and 2024’s Twisters. He was the showrunner on Netflix’s American Primeval, which he also created. His upcoming projects include the Ridley Scott-directed post-apocalyptic sci-fi film The Dog Stars and the Peter Berg-directed WWII era sports film The Mosquito Bowl.

Lorenz is a frequent collaborator of Clint Eastwood. He was a producer on American Sniper, Letters From Iwo Jima, and Mystic River. He made his first foray into directing in 2012 with The Trouble with the Curve and went on to direct the thrillers The Marksman and In the Land of Saints and Sinners, both starring Liam Neeson.