He started his career on American sitcoms such as One Day at a Time, Diff'rent Strokes, and The Facts of Life, and moved into dramas with thirtysomething and L.A. Law, among others. His more recent success with films that sink audiences into depression (before racking up the Oscars) makes it something of a surprise that he's so effortlessly funny and caustically self-deprecating in person.
While he plans to remain involved in The Black Donnellys – if it defies his tongue-in-cheek prediction and succeeds, that is – his return to television is not full-time.
His rewrite of the new James Bond script, Casino Royale, is due in theatres later this year. "It's about how Bond becomes an assassin, and how he becomes a misogynist. I think I've probably ruined the Bond series for everyone forever."
Among other upcoming films are two more collaborations with Clint Eastwood, who directed Haggis's Million Dollar Baby script: Flags of our Fathers and Red Sun, Black Sand.
While he said he couldn’t go a week without writing before thinking he's wasting his life, Haggis plans to continue directing as well. "Directing is a breeze compared to writing. It's a social activity. You just have to disagree with 100 people who are trying to get you to change your mind, and say 'no, I'm going to do it my way.'"
That is, after all, how he earned his success. He explained that after the surprising success of his independent films, studios trust his judgment more than they used to. Now, he said, they think, "We don't understand his new project, either, so that fits the pattern perfectly."
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1 - Joan Hunt
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