Directing duo on a roll

By Nicole Rodriguez

"We met when we were kids in New York's Kennedy Airport," film director Brian Koppelman reveals. The man of whom he speaks is David Levien - Koppelman's best friend and collaborator for the new film "Knockaround Guys."

They sit casually side by side on the hotel room couch. It is not the first time the movie-making team has been to San Francisco, but the trip marks the first time the duo have been here solely for business purposes.

As tired as they admittedly are after hours of back to back press junkets and interviews, the two successfully keep up their excited demeanor - and for good reason: their directorial debut hits theaters Oct. 11.

Levien and Koppelman first made their mark on the Hollywood scene by penning the script to Miramax's 1998 hit "Rounders," a gambling drama starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.

At the time their script was bought, the two were virtual unknowns. Levien had worked odd jobs in the industry for a few years while Koppelman was a talent scout in the music world (he is credited for discovering singer Tracy Chapman). "Rounders," however, turned their heads from their former careers and inspired them to try to make their way in Hollywood.

"I've always loved to listen to music, but I've known movies by heart since I was a kid," Koppelman confides. " I get more and more passionate about film every day."

"Rounders," as it turns out, was only the beginning for the East Coast duo.

"On 'Rounders' we had a great experience as writers," says Levien. "The director (John Dahl) allowed us to be on the set the entire time and we got to talk to the actors between takes. We basically got as close to the production as we (as writers) could get. But we still didn't direct the movie, and it inspired us to take the next step."

And the next step, as it turns out, was "Knockaround Guys" - a movie the two wrote, directed, and produced.

"'Knockaround Guys' is a story about the sons of mafia wise guys who are at a point in their lives when they have to decide whether their going to follow in their fathers' footsteps or whether their going to try to make another kind of life for themselves," Koppelman explains.

The inspiration for this plotline has been with them for years, the two admit.

"Growing up, those were the kind of movies we loved to watch: 'The Godfather' and 'Goodfellas,'" says Koppelman.

The fact that they were given the opportunity to direct their second script is what the guys consider to be the most exciting, yet challenging, aspect of the experience.

"Writing is by far the hardest thing," Koppelman reflects. "Staring at a blank page and having to figure out where a story is going is so difficult. But, on the other hand, directing is so much more actual work." He pauses a moment and smiles. "But, for us, we would like to do as much of both as possible."

And it looks as though their wish has been granted. The two just completed the scripting to the upcoming Will Smith-Martin Lawrence sequel "Bad Boys 2," as well as the film adaptation for John Grisham's "The Runaway Jury." In addition to this, they sold their latest original script, "The First Family," to BelAir Entertainment, and are slated to direct another of their scripts ("The Storm Returns") for DreamWorks.

The two aren't sure what their future will hold after these projects are completed, but they are adamant that whatever it is, they will approach it together.

"We're as close as brothers without having the added burden of actually being brothers and having all of that family stuff," Koppelman explains.

"There's a combination of powers that really works for us," Levien agrees wholeheartedly. "I could never do this with anyone else."