Soderbergh's New Experience: Steven Soderbergh will follow Che and The Informant with the low-budget The Girlfriend Experience, the story of a high-priced call girl partly improvised from a detailed outline by Soderbergh, Brian Koppelman, and David Levien. The film, the second (after Bubble) in the low-budget deal Soderbergh made with Mark Cuban's 2929 Entertainment, will steer clear of stars and may include an adult-film actress in the lead. Thankfully, Wikipedia is here to help! [Variety]

Gibson Seeks Darkness: Mel Gibson accepts his first starring role since 2004, in the feature adaptation of landmark 1985 BBC mini-series Edge of Darkness. Directed by Martin Campbell and written by William Monahan, Boston-set film follows a police investigator whose daughter is killed and who uncovers corruption within the department. It'll be like The Departed meets Gone Baby Gone, and twice as depressing as either. [Variety]

Big Director on Campus: Liz Friedlander will direct I Am Charlotte Simmons, Tom Wolfe's novel about Tom Wolfe being too old to understand college students an innocent country girl making her way through "Dupont University" (cough, Duke, cough, safety school). Friedlander (Take the Lead) seems well suited to direct, what with all those music videos under her belt from groups like U2, R.E.M., and other "bands" that make poor, bewildered Tom Wolfe spit out his mint julep. [HR]