Emilio Estevez amongst the books for “Public”
Way to keep us guessing Gordon Bombay.
Actor cum [rather gifted] director Emilio Estevez has finally announced his follow-up to 2006’s “Bobby”. The former ‘Ducks’ captain will do a drama – do you to see the similarities between “The Breakfast Club”!? – set in a public library.
“The Public”, says The Hollywood Reporter, is loosely based on a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece written by Chip Ward, a retiring librarian in Salt Lake City, which discussed the epidemic issue of libraries becoming de facto shelters for the homeless and the mentally ill in light of many social program cuts.
Estevez, who wrote and directed “Bobby,” did most of his research for that ensemble drama at Los Angeles’ historic downtown public library and as such was familiar with it. After reading the article, he went back and saw what he had missed.
“It was every bit as bad as the op-ed piece described it,” he said.
The story, set in Los Angeles, takes place during a 48-hour period on the two coldest days in the city, with the library overwhelmed by people seeking shelter. After getting rebuffed by the administration to keep the doors open, one librarian stages an act of civil disobedience. He ends up dealing with the library’s new inhabitants, many of them mentally ill.
But the big question is when is “Men at Work 2” due?
