Joel Schumacher signs up for future film project; next movie may be delayed

Out filmmaker Joel Schumacher (Bad Company) will direct The Number 23 for New Line Cinema. The psychological thriller will center on a man obsessed with an obscure book titled The Number 23 because he is convinced that the book is based on his own life, since the number 23 is woven throughout his life. In the meantime, however, Schumacher is dealing with a possible delay in what was to be his next released film, Phone Booth. The New York Times reports that the film, which was to have been released by 20th Century Fox on November 15, may be delayed because of its eerie parallels with the current sniper incidents in Maryland and Virginia. Fox may hold the film until next year or possibly even send it straight to video. Another Schumacher film, Veronica Guerin, is due out from Buena Vista before the end of the year.