Stephen Gaghan to Direct 'Candy Store' With Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington Circling (Exclusive)

Writer-director Stephen Gaghan is ramping up his next film -- and he's attracting interest from major actors. 

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Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Gaghan will direct Candy Store, a crime thriller he also wrote, and that Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington are in early talks to star. The film is set up at Lionsgate.

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No deals are done, and sources described the discussions to be in the nascent stage. But if the film comes together with those stars, it would mark Gaghan's most high-profile directing project since 2005's Syriana. He won an Academy Award for writing the Steven Soderbergh-directed Traffic in 2000. He also co-wrote the screenplay for next summer's Will Smith sci-fi adventure After Earth. 

Candy Store is described as a "two-hander" crime thriller with meaty roles for the two main characters. A highly trained deep-cover operative starts his life over in Brooklyn as a beat cop only to discover the global organization he was dedicated to fighting also is operating in his new backyard. Jamie Foxx was said to be interested in one of the roles as well.

Gaghan and Pitt are represented by CAA. Washington is repped by WME.

Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com

Twitter: @Borys_Kit