If you’ve been wondering why director Alex Proyas only seems to come out with a new movie once every four or five years, the answer may surprise you. I used to think he was just a meticulous filmmaker who likes to take his time, and while that may be partially true, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the guy has also had some pretty bad luck. Over the last few years he has had two big projects get killed for budget reasons (Dracula Year Zero and Paradise Lost), leaving him to move on to a third project that he kept on the backburner all this time. That project is an adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi novella The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, a story that supposedly inspired him to write Dark City. The plot synopsis is as follows:

“In ‘Hoag’, the title character is struck one evening with the realization that he has no memory of what he does during the day. Distraught over his predicament, and particularly concerned that he might be engaged in some nefarious activities, he contacts a husband and wife detective agency and asks them to surreptitiously follow him. The truth takes a dark and ultimately earth-shattering turn as their investigation leads to a series of frightening revelations, beginning with a group of shadowy figures who gravely warn of dire consequences unless the pair immediately cease their inquiry into the nature of Hoag’s identity.”

The premise certainly sounds interesting and not only reminiscent of Dark City but also a lot of Philip K. Dick’s work. Considering that Proyas hasn’t really been able to repeat the critical success of Dark City, this could be a great opportunity for him. His last film Knowing was widely panned — with the exception of Roger Ebert’s four-star rave of course. The new movie is expected to shoot this fall in Australia where Proyas runs his production company, Mystery Clock Cinema. Are you looking forward to The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag?