Well, I've got to get to sleep, in about 10 hours I am going to check out the showing of WINGS with a live orchestra alongside, so I need to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed.... Where did the term 'Bushy Tailed' come from and what does it mean? Sorry.... just curious. Here's Elston's latest triumphant Weekly Recap!!!!
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER VIA REUTERS
CASTING
* Freddie Prinze, Jr. (SHE'S ALL THAT) will star in DOWN TO YOU for Miramax about a tumultuous love affair between college students.
* Marlo Thomas has joined Elliot Gould, Johnny Galecki, Alicia Witt and Brooke Langton in the indie pic TWO GOLDSTEINS ON ACID for the Bubble Factory about a priest whose life goes in a downward spiral. Matthew Huffman is directing from a script by Mari Friedman and Carlos de los Rios, based on a play by Friedman.
* Scott Speedman ("Felicity") joins Gwyneth Paltrow in the karaoke flick DUETS, directed by Paltrow's father Bruce.
* Kelly Preston will star with husband John Travolta in the Jimmy Roselli biopic STANDING ROOM ONLY for director Gus Van Sant and Disney.
* Charlton Heston, Aaron Eckhart (IN THE COMPANY OF MEN), Lela Rochon (WAITING TO EXHALE) and Jim Caviezel (THE THIN RED LINE) join Oliver Stone's THE LEAGUE (formerly ANY GIVEN SUNDAY).
* Gary Sinise and Charlize Theron will star in Dimension's REINDEER GAMES with Ben Affleck. Sinise will also star in Disney's MISSION TO MARS. Don Cheadle is in talks to join Sinise in MARS.
* Famke Janssen is in final talks to star opposite Geoffrey Rush in the remake of the 1958 Vincent Price flick THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. Marilyn Manson is in talks to play the villain.
* Dave Chappelle, Peter Greene, Tamala Jones and William Forsythe join BLUE STREAK with Martin Lawrence and Luke Wilson.
* Wesley Snipes will return in a BLADE sequel as star and producer for New Line. David Goyer, writer of the original, will oversee the script for the sequel.
* Ray Liotta joins FOREVER MINE with Joseph Fiennes and Gretchen Mol, written/directed by Paul Schrader (AFFLICTION); PILGRIM, in which he'll play an FBI agent; and is in negotiatons to star in ANGEL about a family coping with death.
* Charles S. Dutton ("Roc") joins DETOX.
* Joan Collins will play Wilma's mother in VIVA ROCK VEGAS.
* Adam Arkin (H20, "Chicago Hope") joins Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow in HANGING UP directed by Keaton.
* Katie Holmes has joined WONDER BOYS for Paramount and director Curtis Hanson.
* Newcomer Piper Perabo will play an FBI agent in ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE.
* Natascha McElhone (THE TRUMAN SHOW) joins LOVE'S LABOURS LOST.
* Campbell Scott, Stockard Channing, Mary McCormack, Peter Gallagher, David Aaron Baker and Rob Morrow are shooting OTHER VOICES in New York for Unapix Films.
* Leonardo DiCaprio has committed to star in GANGS OF NEW YORK, a project Martin Scorcese and writer Jay Cocks developed at Disney. Robert DeNiro is in talks to star as well. DiCaprio is also attached to star in THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT which is close to being picked up by 20th Century Fox. Lee Tamahori will most likely direct.
* Giovanni Ribisi will play Elvis Presley in LONELY STREET for writers Rosa and Bill Graham and producer Alex Rose. A part to play Marilyn Monroe has not yet been cast.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks to revive the epic CRUSADE with producer Aarnon Milchner, likely at 20th Century Fox. Paul Verhoeven may possibly direct.
DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* DreamWorks bought THE BET by Ronnie Christensen about a vacationing yuppie in Las Vegas who is forced by a casino owner to perform illegal and deadly stunts while gamblers bet on his survival. John Pogue (U.S. MARSHALS) is rewriting for the studio.
* Warner Bros. bought NOWHERE TO HIDE by Patrick Lee and Jenny Colgan's book AMANDA'S WEDDING for Barry Levinson and Paula Weinstein's Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures to produce--described as THE FUGITIVE meets NO WAY OUT. The studio also picked up NO CLASS by Alan San Remo--described as DUMB & DUMBER in college.
* Director Jamie Blanks has already dropped out of THE MUNCHIES, but is in final negotiations to direct BLOOD RELATIVE about a young geneticist who discovers he's adopted and his grandfather is a notorious criminal.
* Martin Campbell (THE MASK OF ZORRO) is in talks to direct 13 DAYS for Sony.
* Gary Scott Thompson (upcoming THE HOLLOW MAN) will write RACER X for Universal about gangs that illegally use revamped Japanese cars as weapons in street races.
* Columbia Pictures will partner with Ed Solomon (MEN IN BLACK scribe) and Edward Lynn are producing HOT by Chris D'Arienzo (THE JORDIES) about cross-dresser Hilton La Shawn Williams, who toured the U.S. in the 80s billed as R&B singer Shirley Murdoch.
* Warner Bros. has hired Scott Frank (OUT OF SIGHT) will adapt the novel CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY for the big screen (as opposed to just remaking the film WILLY WONKA...).
MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* Journalist-turned-movie producer Howard Blum had made a deal with Castle Rock on HARD COUNTRY about three militia men who killed four deputies and fled to an Indian reservation. A sheriff teams with a Native American to track them down. Blum has other true story projects in the works.
* Warner Bros. is "fast zeroeing in" a director for the new SUPERMAN film. Shekar Kapur (ELIZABETH), Simon West (CON AIR) and Stephen Norrington (BLADE) are in the running. Nicolas Cage is still attached.
* 20th Century Fox and Dean Devlin/Roland Emmerich have reconciled their differences and are possibly negotiating a sequel to INDEPENDENCE DAY, but are first turning their attention to the Revolutionary War pic PATRIOT in which Mel Gibson is in talks to star.
* A summary judgment was issued, dismissing MGM's claims that it had proprietary rights to make a live action movie based on SPIDER MAN. MGM will appeal the dismissal.
* Harold Ramis has dropped out of GALAXY QUEST possibly due to wanting to take a break after his upcoming film ANALYZE THIS. No new director has been named, but the film is still slated for a summer start.
REMAKE NEWS OF THE WEEK: Nicolas Cage will star in a remake of the 1974 car chase thriller GONE IN 60 SECONDS for Touchstone. Scott Rosenberg (CON AIR) wrote the script for producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
I do believe we have broken a record. This may be the longest recap ever and I don't know where to start. DiCaprio's plate is full and so is Gary Sinise's. *** Ribisi as Elvis? Can't wait. *** Bummer about Ramis and GALAXY QUEST. Who should they get now? And how about Martin Campbell doing 13 DAYS? *** Ah yes. REINDEER GAMES keeps getting better and better. *** THE LEAGUE and DETOX's casting seems to never end. Should be a great one. The WONDER BOYS cast is shaping up nicely too. *** Try not to confuse THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL with THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. I guess this is going to be reminiscent of ANTZ/A BUG'S LIFE, ARMAGEDDON/DEEP IMPACT, etc. *** Look's like Kelly Preston and Travolta will work together before THE SHIPPING NEWS. This story looks really interesting. So do a lot of the scripts picked up this week. *** Gibson, Cage, Schwarzenegger, DeNiro and Charlton Heston cooking up stuff this week. Wow. I think I'll end there.
Thanks for the emails. Glad to help out as I can.
Enjoy your February.
Elston Gunn
elstongunn@hotmail.com
