Well folks here's the first Weekly Recap of Elston's second year of work. The big news in this one, I covered this week on the site, but ya know, there are some interesting bits here and there. Personally the concept of having Cameron Diaz in a bottle to be released only to make your every wish a reality.... Well, let's just say... That is soooooooo wrong. Where's the respect, the mutual co-dependence? Sigh. Well, here's the update...
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
CASTING
* Leelee Sobieski (EYES WIDE SHUT) will star in SQUELCH for Fox/New Regency and director John Dahl (ROUNDERS). Shooting begins in September on the story about three young people travelling from Colorado to New Jersey who encounter a trucker on their CB who turns out to be a psychotic murderer.
* Sean Young and Clare Kramer (upcoming CHEER FEVER) are in final talks to join the indie flick JERSEY GIRLS about three high school girls who form a band. Cord Keller directs the Mitch Snyder script.
* Philip Baker Hall and Laura San Giacomo will star in A HOUSE ON THE HILL for Chuck Workman about the life of an architect and the making of a documentary of his life. Shirley Knight, Henry Rollins, Rebecca Staab and James Koren also star.
* Shannon Elizabeth (AMERICAN PIE) will play Tanya in Dimension Films' horror spoof SCREAM IF YOU KNOW WHAT I DID LAST SUMMER. Marlon and Shawn Wayans also star.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger will star in DOC SAVAGE: THE MAN OF BRONZE for Warner Bros., Castle Rock, director/producer Chuck Russell and writer/director Frank Darabont. Based on the pulp magazine by Lester Dent, Schwarzenegger will play a millionaire philanthropist who was raised to become the world's ultimate adventurer.
* Elijah Wood will play the lead role of Frodo Baggins in the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS for New Line Cinema and director Peter Jackson. The first episode of the three-part film series, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS goes into production in October. Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair are writing the screenplays with Jackson.
* Rosanna Arquette is attached to star in the first project for SoHo Entertainment, GOOD GRACES, a comedy about a New Yorker undercover in L.A. to escape the mob. Vinnie Curto, who co-wrote with David Hayne, will play the guy on the lam.
* Angela Bettis (upcoming GIRL INTERRUPTED) joins BLESS THE CHILD.
* Lori Ann Chism, Bryan Krandle, Karen Eke, Alex Lugo and Ingrid Fonseca have been cast in BITTERSWEET, a sad love story from director Heath McKnight who co-wrote the flick with Grant Balfour. Shooting is underway for a fall 2000 release.
* Charlotte Britain (GET REAL) will star in SECRET SOCIETY about a woman who gets a factory job where she finds women co-workers who like to sumo wrestle.
* Rosie O'Donnell is involved with two film projects: Nickelodeon Films' AUNTIE CLAUS focuses on a little girl whose aunt disappears between Halloween and Valentine's Day. The curious girl finds out her aunt is Santa Claus's sister. O'Donnell is also developing DOUBLE WISH, based on her own treatment, about two mother motherless children who wish for someone to help their father take care of them. O'Donnell will play a nanny who shows up to help.
DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* Mimi Leder will direct RADIO LOCO abot a man performing community service in an insane asylum through a radio show.
* Jay Roach (AUSTIN POWERS) is considering four new projects including MGM's METALHEADS by Tedi Sarafian about a pair of aliens trying to save Earth with their only knowledge of humankind comes from 70s explotation flicks.
* David J. Burke ("Wiseguy") has written OOOPH!, picked up by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, a romantic comedy about two men who must get out of trouble after being caught by one of their wives at a lap-dancing club.
* Mandalay Pictures picked up Philip Jayson Lasker's spec comedy LARCENY FOR LOVERS about a con artist and his partner mother who travel Europe where he falls in love with a beautiful woman who is also a con artist.
* Mark Cullen has written WRITER'S CRAMP for Kopelson Entertainment about a male advice columnist who writes for a woman's magazine. There he falls in love with a co-worker who is seeing his best friend.
* Kevin Lima (TARZAN co-director) may direct 102 DALMATIONS starring Glenn Close who will reprise her role as Cruella DeVille.
* Bill Condon (GODS AND MONSTERS) will direct QUEEN BESS about the life of former Miss America Bess Myerson. Shooting begins in mid-September. Condon scripted with John Hoffman.
MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* Tristar will distribute the Ben Stiller/Jennifer Love Hewitt pic THE SUBURBANS, Sony Pictures Classics will put out THIRD MIRACLE with Ed Harris and Anne Heche--Sony Classics will also distribute Ang Lee's CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON starring Michelle Yeoh and written by James Schamus (THE ICE STORM).
* Drew Barrymore's Flower Films will produce MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM set in a toy store and focuses on how people grow up but stay playful on the inside. Flower will also produce an original, untitled thriller to be written by Anne Meredith (BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA).
* Miramax optioned John Keats Rosenthal's comic novel KILLER ROUTINE about rednecks, serial killers and figure skaters.
* The screen rights were picked up to Robert Rosenthal's TALK SHOW about a young female detective tracking down a wealthy serial killer who hides behind his daytime talkshow persona who is a folk hero.
* Fox 2000 picked up Tracy Alexson's pitch HOW TO MAKE YOUR MAN BEHAVE IN 21 DAYS OR LESS USING THE SECRETS OF PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINERS for Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.
* Universal grabbed the pitch DIXIE CUPS from writers Douglas Cook and David Weisberg about the inner workings of the CIA told through the eyes of a college recruit who becomes a covert operative.
* Lisa Kudrow, Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon are awaiting a final script of I DREAM OF JEANNIE from producer Sid Ganis (upcoming DEUCE).
Short week this week. The fourth of July weekend slowed things down. However, Elijah Wood in RINGS and Schwarzenegger as Doc Savage is as big news as we have had in a long time. Very welcome news, indeed. *** It's cool to see what John Dahl and Bill Condon are working on next. SQUELCH sounds really cool and the Bess Myerson pic can be done well by Condon. ***
Yep, the 101 DALMATIONS pic is still happening. *** Mimi Leder has been attached to so many flicks, I wonder if RADIO LOCO is definitely what she's doing next. *** A lot of smaller films in production. JERSEY GIRLS and BITTERSWEET sound intriguing. *** Rosie O'Donnell is staying busy with projects geared towards kids. *** Riding on the heels of AUSTIN POWERS 2 success Jay Roach is already prepping METALHEADS (which sounds funny) and we still haven't seen his MYSTERY, ALASKA. Odd.
Thanks for all the emails--they were well-received.
Until next week...
Elston Gunn
elstongunn@hotmail.com
