At rehearsal one day, he told Barry Alterman that two big-name directors were interested.

And after his first few weeks back, one thing is clear: no star or big-name director is off limits, not even the clients of his old agency.

But no other big-name director has split the same subject into two films.

Two Projects for Directors You're sure you have as much talent as the big-name directors, but how do you get that toe in the door?

Likewise, a big-name director will request that his pet writer be added.

Studios, he said, are also discovering the worth of lesser-known films by big-name directors.

Thirdly, it's produced by a big-name director, with a big-name cast in Hollywood.

But "Longtime Companion," distributed by a small studio, had neither major stars nor a big-name director and never reached a wide audience before it played on television.

The same could be said of some other big-name directors whom one wouldn't call auteurs, Michael Grandage and Sam Mendes.

But Mr. Bouygues's approach is said to involve agreements with big-name directors and film stars rather than with American studios.