Yes, he'll co-star in two high-profile Hollywood productions, "The Green Lantern" and "Water for Elephants," as a villain in both. But Waltz also appears to be using this new found fame as an opportunity to make his feature directorial debut with a German-language romantic comedy he's written titled "Auf und Davon" ("Up and Away"). This won't be his first effort behind the camera, as he wrote and directed a 2000 German TV movie, but it will be his first big screen gig in this capacity.

Waltz will probably appear in a minor role, but the focus of the movie will be on a female dating game show host who falls for a contestant. It is a German production, but there could be enough cross-over appeal -- maybe cast "Basterds" co-star Diane Kruger or Franka Potente ("Run Lola, Run") in the female lead -- for it to migrate to the States. Fox is behind the film through its International arm, so Fox Searchlight will probably bring this to America for at least limited distribution, given Waltz' street cred over here.

Of course, "Auf und Davon" is prime remake material. And Waltz will probably be asked to direct the second version as well. Like fellow Austrian Oscar-winner Michael Haneke did recently with "Funny Games." The plot does seem very translatable to an American setting -- except for the idea of a dating show; fare like "The Bachelor" completely changed the landscape in that regard -- so if you still can't bother with an entirely German-language film you might still be able to see this story if you're patient enough.

Will you be seeing Christoph Waltz's feature directorial debut in German, or would you rather wait for the inevitable remake? Has Waltz's "Inglourious Basterds" performance and Oscar win gotten you to watch any of the actor's past work?