With his rollicking heist adventure under his belt, Luketic is returning to the romantic comedy genre. The Ugly Truth, with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, starts shooting in three weeks. The director has been busy with preproduction details, and rounding up the rest of his cast, which includes Cheryl Hines, John Michael Higgins, and Kevin Connolly from Entourage.

"It's amazing the minutia my day is filled with," he cracks. "One hour we'll be talking about how tight Katherine Heigl's dress should be, the next it's what accent Gerard Butler should have." (Luketic says that's a matter of great debate right now - whether to let the 300 star talk with his native Scots burr, or go American for the role.)

But Luketic promises that The Ugly Truth, slated for release next spring, is a different, more honest sort of rom-com.

"We have to be able to adapt to changing tastes," he says. "People still love to go and see comedies, and romantic comedies, but . . . I don't think the sugar-coated, candy-sweet version really works anymore. I think we're a little more cynical. That's just our state of mind right now.

"This comedy is a little racier, it's an R-rated comedy, and it's a little more honest, a little more frank about the way men are, and the way women are, and what we expect of each other."