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Jennifer Lawrence is directing a movie about 'mental warfare in the ‘60s'

Jennifer Lawrence is directing a movie about 'mental warfare in the ‘60s'

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She wants to make a comedy, too

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It only took Jennifer Lawrence a few years to conquer both the box office and the Academy Awards, so you can't blame her for exploring a new creative frontier: direction. As part of an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence confirmed that she's signed on to direct a property called Project Delirium.

"It's based on this article about mental warfare in the '60s, like an acid experiment gone terribly wrong," said Lawrence. "It's funny, I've always wanted to direct since I was 16 and always thought I should start making steps towards that. If I had tried to do it earlier, I wouldn't have been ready. Now I actually feel ready." She also expressed interest in directing a comedy at some point, an interest that's unsurprising given her work on a screenplay with Amy Schumer.

Project Delirium doesn't sound like natural comedic fodder

Some outlets have linked Lawrence's Project Delirium to her statement about making a comedy, but the connection between the two hasn't been confirmed. Based on Lawrence's description of the idea, it sounds like she's talking about "Operation Delirium," a lengthy 2012 piece in The New Yorker about a psychochemical experimentation program that took place in Maryland during the Cold War. It doesn't exactly sound like comedic fodder, but I suppose Lawrence could be working on some madcap, druggy interpretation of the piece.

Lawrence hasn't shied away from expressing her interest in direction in recent years. She talked about it backstage after winning a Golden Globe for American Hustle last year, and a chunk of her recent Vogue cover story was devoted to her fascination with the field:

But Lawrence is not so interested in producing. "I want to direct. But I would rather just do it than talk about it." ...As part of her film schooling, Lawrence has been sitting in on [director David O.] Russell's editing sessions for Joy. "It's funny because I'm like, This process is so unique to him. There's almost nothing I can take away from it. It would be like watching a dolphin and being like, 'Oh! So that's how you swim in the ocean!'"