RUSSELL CROWE - CROWE TO MAKE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

CROWE TO MAKE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

Russell Crowe is to make his directorial debut in a film about the underground Australian surfing scene.

The Oscar-winning actor, who has won acclaim for his roles in Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, will work with Universal and Imagine Entertainment on the film, entitled Bra Boys.

Hollywood trade paper Variety reports that it will be based on a documentary of the same name which is currently being shown in Australian cinemas and was narrated by Crowe.

Bra Boys focuses on three brothers - Sunny, Koby and Jai Abberton – who began the underground surfing scene in the inner-Sydney suburb of Maroubra. The film is expected to chart their social struggles from their working class origins and how they found solace in surfing.

The documentary claims to explore "their international reputation for hard partying and rough justice".

"It is a story of contrast involving against-the-odds success and predictable failures and, ultimately, a story exploring the legacy and hopes of the next generation of Bra Boys members," the documentary's website states.

Along with producer Brian Grazer and writer Stuart Beattie, Crowe will also base the film on a book being written about the real-life Bra Boys.

It will also be a busy year acting-wise for Crowe; his films Tenderness, 3:10 to Yuma and American Gangster are set for release later this year and he is set to star as the sheriff of Nottingham in the forthcoming film Nottingham.