Alrighty folks, here's Elston Gunn with his latest WEEKLY RECAP filled to the brim with news from around Hollywood. So take a gander and TALK BACK about what excites and disappoints... The ball is in your court now...
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
CASTING
* Woody Allen and Michael Rapaport (MIGHTY APHRODITE) will star in Allen's untitled comedy which shoots this fall.
* Thomas Jane (upcoming THE DEEP BLUE SEA) will join Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman in UNDER SUSPICION directed by Stephen Hopkins. Shooting begins in May in Puerto Rico.
* Oliver Hudson (THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS) accompanies MARY JANE'S LAST DANCE. Shooting commences in North Carolina at the end of the month.
* Matt Ross (upcoming PUSHING TIN) joins THE VISITORS with Christina Applegate and Jean Reno.
* Blair Underwood will star in RULES OF ENGAGEMENT along with Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. He'll play a Marine captain who is court-marshaled for giving an order that results in the deaths of innocent bystanders. Kim Delaney ("NYPD Blue") stars as well.
* Josh Brolin (MOD SQUAD) is in final talks to join THE HOLLOW MAN opposite Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth Shue.
* Campbell Scott, Laura Linney, Jared Harris and Laurel Holloman will star in the black comedy LUSH written/directed by Mark Gibson about a pro golfer who loses his place on the pro tour and heads to New Orleans due to excessive drinking.
* Sammo Hung ("Martial Law") is in talks to join Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in SHANGHAI NOON.
* Bridget Fonda is in talks and Chris Kattan is set to join MONKEY BONE with Brendan Fraser and Whoopi Goldberg. Henry Selick directs Sam Hamm's script.
* Barry Pepper is in final talks to play the hero Jonnie opposite John Travolta's villain in BATTLEFIELD EARTH to be directed by Roger Christian.
* Fisher Stevens, Annabella Sciorra, Maria Bello, Rob Morrow, Ron Rifkin, Luis Guzman, John Slattery and Saverio Guerra are all working for next to nothing on SAM THE MAN, a shoestring-budgeted comic-drama by director Gary Winick (SWEET NOTHING). The picture, shooting on digital camera, follows a writer who tries to make up with his girlfriend over his skirt-chasing ways.
* John Cusack and Steve Zahn will star in Columbia's LIFE OF THE PARTY for writer/director Greg Mottola (DAYTRIPPERS) about a group of friends who go to France for an intervention on their alcoholic buddy.
* Jennifer Jason Leigh will star in BEAUTIFUL VIEW for her mother, writer/director of the pic Barbara Turner (GEORGIA). The story centers on a chambermaid in a posh California hotel who finds trouble when she becomes obsessed with a guest.
* Malcolm McDowell also joins THE VISITORS as a wizard as well as British indie flick GANGSTER NO. 1.
* Luke Wilson will star in HITCHED opposite Kyra Sedgwick and Paul Rudd as well as the indie flick PRESTON TYLK.
* Denzel Washington may star in REMEMBER THE TITANS for Jerry Bruckheimer and possible director Andy Davis (THE FUGITIVE). Gregory Howard wrote the script about the true story of an integrated Virginian football team.
* Wesley Snipes may star and produce films under his Amen Ra films banner: one is an animated flick about New York dogs bound for Africa, the other is an action thriller set at South Africa's Sun City resort.
* Molly Ringwald and Jessica Napier star with Kylie Minogue in the Australian horror flick CUT.
* Dan Aykroyd and Frank Langella will play the leads in 15 MOMENTS for director Denys Arcand.
* Clifton Gonzalez (THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS) joins New Line's boxing pic PRICE OF GLORY with Jimmy Smits and Jon Seda.
* Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck may play the leads in BOUNCE for director Don Roos (THE OPPOSITE OF SEX). He'll play a guilty guy who gave up a seat on a crashing plane. She'll play a widow after losing her husband who was on the plane.
* Freddie Prinze, Jr. joins Claire Danes in HEAD OVER HEELS.
* Nicolas Cage and Will Smith may star in I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU JOE AND BENNY about two heterosexual firefighters who marry for insurance benefits. Barry Fanaro (KINGPIN) wrote the script while Tom Shadyac (PATCH ADAMS) may direct.
DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* David Koepp (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE) is writing a SPIDER MAN script loosely based on James Cameron's treatment, though Cameron is no longer involved with the project.
* Tim Ware and Sean Cullen have written GRILLHOUSE WALL to be directed by Greg Sheppard about a short-order chef who gets to play hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
* Producer Robert Schwartz has picked up 47 DEAD BODIES written by John Requa and Glen Ficarra about a forgotten anniversary which leads to the accidental death of 47 people.
* John Dahl (THE LAST SEDUCTION, ROUNDERS) will direct SQUELCH, a thriller written by Clay Tarver and J.J. Abrams.
* Micky Birnbaum has written USED GUYS, picked up by Betty Thomas and Jenna Topping's Tall Trees Prods, about a futuristic world where women shop for men like used cars. The story centers on two guys escape their lot after being traded in.
* Director George Romero is in final talks to collaborate with the Wachowski brothers, Larry and Andy, on their script CARNIVORE, a gothic fairy tale set in a boarding house where rich people mysteriously disappear. The Wachowski brothers would executive produce.
* Howard Deutch (PRETTY IN PINK) will direct Keanu Reeves in THE REPLACEMENTS a Warner Bros. pic based on the true story of the events surrounding the 1987 NFL players' strike.
* Kenneth Lonergan (ANALYZE THIS) will write/direct YOU CAN COUNT ON ME about a young mother who struggles to raise her son while dealing with an overbearing boss and a redneck younger brother. Matthew Broderick will play the boss.
* Gigi Gaston (THE CREAM WILL RISE) will direct the female heist flick BEYOND THE CITY LIMITS. Shooting begins June 15.
* Stephen Leeds will make his debut directing HONKY about two black producers who try to sink their dance show by hiring a white host.
MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* The release date for Universal's NOTTING HILL with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant is being moved to May 28.
* Francis Ford Coppola has decided not to do 13 DAYS.
* Miramax is developing the Joanna Harris book CHOCOLAT about a woman who opens a patissarie in a little village and comes head to head with a priest who believes chocolate is a sin.
ELSTON NOTE: Miramax heads Bob and Harvey Weinstein are buying Kevin Smith's DOGMA from Disney with their own money are shopping it around to studios (most likely Universal or Paramount) to help with domestic distribution. Read Harry's earlier coverage on the story.
* Leonardo DiCaprio has optioned the Kevin Baker novel DREAMLAND which sports are large cast of characters, mostly immigrants in New York set at the turn of the century.
* Paramount has picked up THE END OF ETERNITY, based on Isaac Asimov's book, as a directing vehicle for Ridley Scott.
FROM TV TO FILM NEWS OF THE WEEK: Producer George Litto and Rose Freeman have won separated rights to "Hawaii Five-O" from CBS and plan on moving ahead with a feature. Two major studios are reportedly interested.
REMAKE NEWS OF THE WEEK: Miramax grabbed the screen rights to the remake of the 1950 Jimmy Stewart classic HARVEY. Don Gregory will produce. Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Tom Hanks are among the names envisioned for the Stewart role.
Busy week. Here are some trivial observations: Coppola off 13 DAYS, Cameron off SPIDER MAN; LUSH and LIFE OF THE PARTY both deal with alcoholics; L. Ron Hubbard's BATTLEFIELD EARTH is being directed by a man whose last name is Christian. Interesting. I'm confident the DOGMA situation will pan out. I'll admit that unlike Harry I did read the script (though it was a different draft) and I throroughly enjoyed it. As Smith put it (somewhat minor spoiler): "C'mon. How offended should we be about a movie that has a poop monster." True. However, to be both funny and poignant in a flick is a hard trick to pull off anymore, but Smith does it...adding a bit of action as well.
Woody Allen is shooting a movie this fall? Fresh. *** GRILLHOUSE WALL, 47 BODIES and SAM THE MAN sound cool. Need more info. *** Lotsa casting for flicks. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, UNDER SUSPICION, HEAD OVER HEELS, THE HOLLOW MAN...I like it. *** Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan in a Tom Dey movie called SHANGHAI NOON. Sounds fun. *** I NOW PRONOUNCE... sounds pretty funny. Any more info? *** Paltrow and Affleck in BOUNCE. Good premise, great leads. *** Dan Aykroyd in 15 MOMENTS? Is it a drama? *** HARVEY? No. HAWAII FIVE-O? Hmm.... CARNIVORE? Can't wait.
And how about CARNIVORE? Romero and the Wachowski brothers...cool combo. I saw THE MATRIX last weekend and kept thinking these are the effects we need to see in SPIDER MAN. Leaping from buildings, swinging in the air, anti-gravity stuff...it's a must. And the guy who played the evil Agent. I do believe he could be our Wolverine. He has the face, the voice and the potential hair. Add a little more muscle and hunch him over a tad bit. Uncanny.
Until next week... Keep the emails a-comin'.
Elston Gunn
elstongunn@hotmail.com
