Joseph Gordon-Levitt Will Direct His First Film This Year

[NelsonG]

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[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/24559/personmain.jhtml"]Joseph Gordon-Levitt[/url] has a monumental 2012 in front of him. He's set to star in some of the year's biggest films, including "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/454627/moviemain.jhtml"]The Dark Knight Rises[/url]," Spielberg's "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/468315/moviemain.jhtml"]Lincoln[/url]," the sci-fi thriller "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/409261/moviemain.jhtml"]Looper[/url]" and Quentin Tarantino's "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/476781/moviemain.jhtml"]Django Unchained[/url]." That isn't even counting his bike messenger starring vehicle, "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/461967/moviemain.jhtml"]Premium Rush[/url]."

But now, you can add a directorial debut to JGL's planned list of 2012 accomplishments. This year, Gordon-Levitt will helm his first movie, a comedy he wrote himself. He'll also pull star duty as the film's lead, a "modern-day Don Juan" who tries to change his womanizing ways.

[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/167862/personmain.jhtml"]Scarlett Johansson[/url] will co-star, along a yet-to-be-cast second female lead. Gordon-Levitt said that the role is one that may surprise the fans that know his previous work. "I wrote myself a helluva role, one that people wouldn’t necessarily thought of me for," he said.

The actor opened up to [url="http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/joseph-gordon-levitt-to-make-feature-helming-debut-will-co-star-with-scarlett-johansson/"]Deadline[/url] about his directorial debut, something he's wanted to do for years. "I was a child actor for years and quit at 19, went to school awhile, and a big part of why I came back was that I ultimately wanted to make movies," he said.

Gordon-Levitt gave credit to the list of prestigious directors he's worked with as one of the big reasons he feels ready to do this. "I spent a year working with Chris Nolan, Rian Johnson, Steven Spielberg, and I did my best to pay attention," he said. "I've also been making short films for a long time now, I've directed a ton of them, and that is a huge part of why I feel comfortable and confident in this."

The writer/director/actor duty may come at a cost to Gordon-Levitt, though. The busy work schedule involved with directing and starring in a film could mean no "Django Unchained" for the actor. "It will be tricky schedule-wise, but I was honest with Quentin upfront," he said.

[i]Are you excited to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut? Let us know in the comments below and on [url="http://www.twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



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