Ron Howard adopts The Emperor's Children

We’re seriously starting to wonder if Ron Howard has secretly perfected human cloning. How else do you explain his crowded directing schedule, a batch of films in development no one man could possibly handle in a human lifespan?

He’s added another possible job to his overflowing plate – New York drama The Emperor’s Children, which has been adapted from Claire Messud’s novel by no lesser writer than Noah Baumbach.

Baumbach – who wrote and directed The Squid And The Whale – has tackled the tale of upper crust former college types worried about approaching their 30s.

But it’ll have to wait – Howard is juggling play adaptation Frost/Nixon (which Is next up), Da Vinci sequel Angels & Demons and, lurking within the deeper levels of development hell, remakes of French thriller Cache and ‘70s sci fi flick Colossus: The Forbin Project. Pray you never meet a discarded, disfigured, redheaded reject from the director’s evil science plan down a darkened alleyway one night…