Well folks there is a ton of info in this RECAP so I am just gonna turn it on over to Elston Gunn and his amazing collection of interesting film bits from around the world! Enjoy.
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
CASTING
* Clea Duvall will star in SEE JANE RUN about a suicidal waitress on a petty crime spree. Sarah Thorp writes/directs with Doug Liman (GO, SWINGERS director) producing.
* Billy Bob Thornton and Burt Reynolds will co-star in the Harry Thomasan-directed CROSSING THE BAR set against the backdrop of the Bay of Pigs invasion, but financial problems has caused the film not to begin until September.
* Renee Zellweger is near a deal to join Jim Carrey in ME, MYSELF AND IRENE for 20th Century Fox and producers Peter and Bobby Farrelly. She'll play the love interest of Carrey's split personality suffering state trooper.
* Will Ferrell ("SNL") may star in both HOT ROD as an amateur stuntman engaged in dangerous stunts as a result of love, and AUGUST BLOWOUT as a car salesman who tries to meet his quota during a clearance sale. Both are set up at SNL Films by Lorne Michaels.
* Matthew Perry, Rosanna Arquette and Natasha Henstridge are joining Bruce Willis in THE WHOLE NINE YARDS which begins shooting in Montreal on May 23. Jonathan Lynn (GREEDY, TRIAL AND ERROR) directs. Willis plays a hitman in the suburbs due to witness protection--Perry plays his dentist neighbor who has an affair with Willis' wife, Arquette plays Perry's wife who wants him rubbed out.
* Leelee Sobieski (NEVER BEEN KISSED) will star in the romantic drama HERE ON EARTH for director Lee David Zlotoff (THE SPITFIRE GRILL). Production begins June 21 in Minnesota. The story centers on two students who fall in love and later find out one has a terminal disease.
* Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Jon Lovitz and Elaine May join Woody Allen and Michael Rapaport in Allen's next pic which begins shooting this summer.
* Lynn Redgrave is in talks to star with Rupert Everett and Madonna in THE NEXT BEST THING about a single woman and a gay man who want to raise a child together. Benjamin Bratt, Michael Varton, Suzanne Krull and Michael Stumpf join as well.
* Bridgette Wilson (BILLY MADISON) joins THE VISITORS with Jean Reno, Christina Applegate and Tara Reid.
* Jerry O'Connell (JERRY MAGUIRE) has been cast in MISSION TO MARS directed by Brian De Palma.
* John Goodman joins both OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU for the Coens and WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM with Garry Shandling, Annette Bening and Jason Alexander for director Mike Nichols.
* Keanu Reeves may play a sniper in SHOOTER based on the 1993 Stephen Hunter novel POINT OF IMPACT. Nick Kazan adapted the script. Reeves will also co-star in DRIVEN where he'd play a serial killer.
* Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet and Joaquin Phoenix may star in QUILLS about the Marquis de Sade for director Philip Kaufman.
* Aaron Eckhart and Albert Finney will join ERIN BROCKOVICH for director Steven Soderbergh which begins shooting May 17.
* Norman Reedus will play Lucien Carr in the Beat Generation indie flick BEAT for writer/director Gary Walkow.
DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* Adam Herz (AMERICAN PIE) is writing EAST BOUND AND DOWN for Universal based on an original character from SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.
* Markus Flanagan has written IN A NEW YORK MINUTE picked up by Fox 2000 and is being produced by Babyface's Edmunds Entertainment. It's an action comedy about a thief who ends up stealing a tell-all manuscript about the NY mafia.
* Director Stephen Herek (HOLY MAN, THE THREE MUSKETEERS) is close to a deal to develop TOMB RAIDER feature based on the video game targeting a summer 2000 release. Steven de Souza (DIE HARD, STREET FIGHTER) has written the script.
* Damon Santostefano (THREE TO TANGO) will direct an Americanized version of the 1985 European hit MEN for producers Barry Levinson and Paula Weinstein.
* Ed Stone (HAPPY, TEXAS) is writing PRINCESS for Paramount about the dognapping of the Queen of England's pooches who ends up on the streets of London to fend for itself.
* Joel Schumacher will direct CHURCH OF THE DEAD GIRLS based on the Stephen Dobyns novel about a small town who deal with suspicion and vigilantes upon the disappearance of three local teenagers. Doug Wright (QUILLS) is adapting the script.
HARRY NOTE: Well, I'm glad to see that Joel is on this path instead of the gigantic STUDIO projects. After two or three of these type projects it'll be interesting to see... where in his career he'll be.
* Christina Welsh has written IF ONLY, picked up by Destination Films, about a young couple given a second chance to relive and change the events of a day where one of them gets killed.
* New Line has picked up SYDNEY CRAWFORD WANTS TO BONE ME about a video clerk who wins a date with a supermodel who in turn becomes obsessed with him. Dean Rosen (THE CURVE) will direct the Chris Parrish script.
* Harris Goldberg will write/direct LOVE CONQUERS PAUL about a romance set in the world of club tennis for Galilay Entertainment.
* Chris Eyre (SMOKE SIGNALS) will direct Winona Ryder in ROUSTABOUT for New Line about a woman who grew up in the circus world after being abandoned by her mother.
* Wes Craven will direct and executive produce THE FOUNTAIN SOCIETY for DreamWorks based on his own new novel about cloning and the fountain of youth.
HARRY NOTE: Wow... Wes Craven escapes from Dimension Films? I'm personally a little shocked that the Weinsteins let this project get out of their hands. Hmmmm... Does it mean anything?
* Nick Stagliano (THE FLORENTINE) will direct GRAY HORSE RUNNING, a gangster tale based on the life of Mike Spillane, who controlled New York's Hell's Kitchen from 1957-77. The flick is written by Bobby Spillane and "SNL's" own Colin Quinn.
* Nicole Holofcener will rewrite and direct THE RELUCTANT GROOM for Universal about a married couple who find out they're not really married due to a technical flaw and don't know if they want to really get married after they've known each other a while.
* Gavin Wilding is directing Brad Rowe, Allinson Lange, John Savage and Brendan Fehr in CHRISTINA'S HOUSE produced by Mark Victor and Michael Grois (POLTERGEIST writers).
* Andrew Davis acquired the screen rights to HOLES by Louis Sachar and may direct the film at Phoenix Pictures. The story concentrates on a juvenile detention center in Texas where the inmates are forced to dig holes all day.
* Director Betty Thomas will next work on the baseball romantic comedy THE DREYFUS AFFAIR for New Line about a major league shortstop who falls in love with his second baseman.
* 20th Century Fox has picked up TWICE UPON A TIME by Robbie Fox about an old man who goes back in time to warn himself not to marry the woman he did.
MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* John Travolta is putting off starring in the Jimmy Roselli biopic STANDING ROOM ONLY directed by Gus Van Sant, but will wait until October to start shooting after he wraps BATTLEFIELD EARTH.
* Courtney Love has formed Epitome Productions distributed by Dimension Films and will first produce the teen romantic comedy I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW.
* Phil Roman formerly of Film Roman will executive produce CYBER GARDEN, an indie family flick blending live action with traditional and computer animation.
* Trimark is close to acquiring CARNIVORE written by the Wachowski brothers and to be possibly directed by George Romero.
* Shooting will begin April 18 in Luxemborg on BURNED TO LIGHT (formerly SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) based on the making of NOSFERATU. Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich stars.
Can you believe all the casting this week? Lots o' big directors getting into to cool stuff too. I'm barely awake, so I may make some comments in the TALK BACK later today. I leave it to you now to talk about what you think is really interesting...and what's not. TOMB RAIDER, Woody Allen, Joel Schumacher, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS, Will Ferrell, John Goodman, Keanu Reeves (the last three each have 2 projects in the works), Betty Thomas, THE NEXT BEST THING, quite a busy week.
Thanks for all the emails. Keep 'em comin'. Until next week...
Elston Gunn
elstongunn@hotmail.com
