Harry here. Everyone pay attention to the titles and stories here. Any further info on any of them will be greatly appreciated. But then you already knew that didn't you? Well here's the Media Recap, thanks goes to Elston Gunn, what a fella eh?
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER VIA REUTERS
CASTING
(signed)
CASTING
(signed)
* Stanley Tucci (THE IMPOSTORS) has signed to star in Miramax's IN TOO DEEP with Omar Epps , LL Cool J and Nia Long.
* James Spader joins Minnie Driver in indie thriller SLOW BURN.
* Natasha Lyonne (SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS) has signed to star in CONFESSIONS OF A TRICKBABY, a Hansel and Gretel update, about a girl who escapes from juvenile prison with a 16-year-old serial killer. Matthew Bright (FREEWAY) will direct.
TOM JOAD NOTE: IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME ANYTHING COOL ON THIS E- IT TO HARRY, I'M CURIOUS AS HELL!!!!
* Titus Welliver ("Brooklyn South"), Eamonn Walker ("Oz") and Gregory Hines (WAITING TO EXHALE) have joined the cast of ONCE IN THE LIFE directed by Laurence Fishburne based on his play "Riff Raff."
* Brendan Sexton III (PECKER) and Chloe Sevigny (THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO) have joined Hillary Swank in TAKE IT LIKE A MAN currently shooting in Texas.
* Nick Moran will star with John Hurt in the crime drama NEW BLOOD. Shooting begins in Toronto on Nov. 18 with John Hurst (PROJECT ASSASSIN) directing.
* Jena Malone (CONTACT) has joined FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME. She will play Kelly Preston's character's daughter.
* Sharon Lawrence (NYPD BLUE) will co-star in GOSSIP about a prank that goes out of control.
* Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro and Douglas McGrath will star in the comedy COMPANY MAN. McGrath and Peter Askin will direct their own script. Woody Allen may join the cast as well. McGrath wrote and directed EMMA.
* Henry Thomas and Teri Hatcher have joined FEVER for writer/director Alex WInter, who co-starred in the two BILL AND TED movies.
* Ben Kingsley and Mercedes Reuhl will star in indie family flick SPOOKY HOUSE.
HARRY NOTE: The word is Ben Kingsley plays an old retired magician in this. Could be cool if handled right. Mercedes is supposed to play some weird leader of a gang of kids... I guess it's a lighter version of the Stacy Keach role in AMERICAN HISTORY X
* Joan Allen joins Gary Sinise and Jeff Daniels in ALL THE RAGE about a group of people whose lives are changed forever by guns.
* Aidan Quinn joins 50 VIOLINS as the male lead. Shooting began this week.
(in talks)
* Morgan Freeman may play an older Nelson Mandela in a biopic about the South African president titled LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. Shooting begins in January with Shekhar Kapur (ELIZABETH) directing.
* Tom Cruise is in final talks to make a cameo in Paul Thomas Anderson's (BOOGIE NIGHTS) new flick, MAGNOLIA. The script involves six interwoven stories about loneliness, love, parents and children set in the San Fernando Valley. Shooting begins January.
HARRY NOTE: Any extra news on the above would be very very very cool. I know I'm not the only one interested.
* Sean Connery's Fountainbridge Films is developing three projects in which he'll likely star: the drama DO NOT GO GENTLE; period drama THE PATRIOT; and the action adventure MOUNT WEATHER.
HARRY NOTE: DO NOT GO GENTLE is a long rumored project that's been in the works forever. Most notably it's the film where allegedly part of the film will require a computer de-aging process of Connery. And you may remember the rumours that the same process was going to used for Alec Guinness in the new SW films, but (THANKFULLY) that was all debunked long ago. But this is the project that started those rumors. Just a side bar.
DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* Dutch director Michael Van Diem (CHARACTER) will direct THE SPY GAME with Robert Redford starring.
* Robert Benton has written LOVESICK BLUES for Nicole Kidman to star, but she has not committed yet.
* The Hughes Bros. (DEAD PRESIDENTS) are set to direct FROM HELL about Jack the Ripper at Twentieth Century Fox.
* Mike Figgis (LEAVING LAS VEGAS) is shooting interviews with more than 40 Hollwood notables for a documentary titled HOLLYWOOD CONVERSATIONS. Interviewees include Sylvester Stallone, Robert Downey Jr., producer Jerry Bruckheimer and agent Robert Newman.
MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* Imperial Entertainment Group is expected to close a deal to fund the animated theatrical film HEAVY METAL F.A.K.K. 2, the follow-up to the '96 video release HEAVY METAL: THE MOVIE which was produced by Ivan Reitman.
* Will Smith will produce a film about the history of the rap trio RUN DMC.
There was quite a bit of casting news this week, but the recap feels skimpier than usual. I feel like I might have missed a lot. Morgan Freeman possibly playing Mandela is very interesting news. I've seen trailers for ELIZABETH and am anxious to see Kapur's directing style. *** I'm personally glad to see Paul Thomas Anderson's new project taking flight with casting news and a title. *** Sean Connery looks mighty busy. Can't complain. *** TAKE IT LIKE A MAN looks intriguing as far as plot is concerned. (It's the one where a woman lives as a guy before her untimely death). CONFESSIONS OF A TRICKBABY looks a little wild too.
This week it was reported at the www.newsaskew.com (the Kevin Smith View Askew news site) that Variety mentioned Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier producing (not writing/directing--though the names of who are escape me) a film adaptation of the comic THE PREACHER. I posted on the board asking if the trades would run a rumor or if this is true. Someone replied saying the information was in an ad. Kevin Smith himself replied to my question "Should we trust the trades or brush them off as another rumor outlet?" (I was hoping we could trust them because the WEEKLY RECAP culls from their stories.) He responded, "I'd always trust the trades..." So, I guess we can assume it's true. Cool.
Happy Halloween. I'm sure most of you will spend it watching JOHN CARPENTER'S VAMPIRES.
Elston Gunn
