Simon West to direct 'Dust and Glory'

Director Simon West stays loyal to the action genre, entering negotiations to helm "Dust and Glory," a racing adventure based on the novel by Evan Green. THR says the project is described as "cross between 'Mad Max' and 'Jewel of the Nile'".

"Dust and Glory" mixes romance with adventure, following the rivalry between an American hotshot and an Australian legend participating in one heck of a long, perilous race during the 1950s. Robert Lewis Galinsky wrote the script.

Simon West is currently shooting "The Expendables 2." He recently helmed "The Mechanic," and some of his more popular films include "Con Air," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and "The General's Daughter." He also brought us the bad "When a Stranger Calls" remake.

Simon West to direct 'The Expendables 2'

A sequel to Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables" is happening for sure, but Sly is taking a step back from directing this time. His replacement for the action follow-up: Simon West, whose credits include "Con Air" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider."

Deadline says the film will kick off production this summer, and the original cast is expected to return. Sly's ridiculous film bagged $103 million domestically. West also helmed "The General's Daughter" and "The Mechanic." Who's excited?

Jason Statham to star in 'Mechanic' remake?

Jason Statham (currently onscreen in "Crank: High Voltage") is apparently in talks to star in a reinvention of Michael Winner's 1972 action thriller "The Mechanic," according to Production Weekly's Twitter feed. Simon West, whose credits include "Con Air," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and the remake of "When a Stranger Calls," is in negotiations to direct the film.

The original "Mechanic" starred Charles Bronson as a gifted hit man who takes on an apprentice (Jan-Michael Vincent) and teaches him everything he knows before getting ready to retire. At first, everything goes pretty well, until the apprentice's cocky attitude and ruthlessness causes quite the tricky situation between the two men.

Antonio Banderas to play Salvador Dali

Antonio Banderas is in talks to star as artist Salvador Dali in Simon West’s upcoming biopic “Dali.”

According to Variety, the film focuses on how Dali captured the world with sex and surrealism, eventually getting caught up in scandals and misfortunes.

The trade also says the film will use a mixture of music and CGI to recreate the painter’s vision on the big screen.

Apparently, West’s film is not the only Dali project currently in development. Andrew Niccol is working on “Dali & I” with Al Pacino interested to star, while Paul Morrison recently completed “Little Ashes,” a film about Dali’s young life.

West most recently directed the remake of “When a Stranger Calls.” His credits also include “Con Air” and “Lara Crift: Tomb Raider.”

As for Banderas, he recently completed “Thick as Thieves” for director Mimi Leder. He’ll also be voicing Puss in Boots in the upcoming “Shrek Goes Fourth.”