There really needs to be some sort of statute of limitations on directors whose last films were truly dreadful. Some sort of penance needs to be paid before you can come back and have another stab.

That said, French director Pitof has been in the dog (cat?) house making ads since 2004’s Catwoman and in his defence he did make the thriller Vidocq before that. So going back to his roots and hiring a quality thesp to star should help his rehabilitation back into society.

His hopeful get out of jail card film is Only In New York, which ironically also finds a man (in this case, Jim Caviezel) recently paroled after being sent to the slammer for hustling. He’s seeking redemption (again, obviously a theme the director’s attracted to) but finds the path to enlightenment and happiness blocked by his old life on the mean streets of Noo Yoik.

Or, in this case, Toronto, which will double for the city. Pitof, working from a script by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld and Geebee Dajani, will start shooting this June.