Destin Cretton In Talks to Direct "The Glass Castle"

Writer/director Destin Cretton is in early negotiations with Lionsgate to direct "The Glass Castle," a film starring Jennifer Lawrence, according to a Variety report.

The film follows a young girl with a dysfunctional family. Her mother, an artist and her father, an alcoholic, try to encourage the children's imagination in order to distract them from the family's poverty.

"The Glass Castle" is an adaptation from a 2005 bestselling memoir by Jeannette Walls. Marti Noxon wrote an earlier draft of the film, but Cretton will rewrite the script in addition to directing.

Jennifer Lawrence and Gil Netter are producing the film.

Directing this movie is big news for Cretton, who is on the rise to becoming a well-known Hollywood name. He may not be recognizable to general audiences yet, but he has been in the spotlight recently for his film "Short Term 12," which has been deemed one of the year's best independent movies. He also won the Nicholl Fellowship in 2010 for the film's script, a truly impressive credit for screenwriters.

In addition to "Short Term 12," Cretton wrote and directed "I Am Not A Hipster," which was screened at Sundance in 2012. He has also written and directed the shorts "Deacon's Mondays," "Bartholomew's Son," and "Longbranch: A Suburban Parallel."

Last month, ScreenCraft had the pleasure of sitting down with Cretton for an "In the Can" podcast to discuss the genesis and production of his independent movie. To listen to the podcast and see the film's trailer, check out Cameron Cubbison's ScreenCraft post: Short Term 12: An Exclusive Podcast Episode