Folks... Charlie Kaufman is just an absolute genius. Between this project... and the hopefully coming soon flick... ADAPTATION... Charlie is quite honestly coming up with the most whimisically fresh flick ideas I've heard in a goose age. And a film that involves Chuck Baris kicking ass and hosting THE GONG SHOW... just sounds like brilliance to me. Take a look at what Keyser has to say...
Hey Harry -
Keyser here, coming at you from sunny LA.
Many around town here are reading Charlie Kaufman's (who wrote 1999's best film, in my opinion, "Being John Malkovich") new script this week. It's entitled the Chuck Baris Story (as in the former host of TV's "The Gong Show."
Apparently, Baris told an interviewer a few years ago (supposedly in jest) that while he was hosting "Gong Show," he was working nights as a CIA assassin, killing 19 people over the course of 10 years. Kaufman has written the story as if all of Beris' stories were true, and the story moves from his day job hosting the talent competition to his nights as an operative. Ben Younger (of "Boiler Room") insists it's the funniest script he's read in years. I haven't personally gotten my hands on it yet.
Mike Nichols told interviewers this week at the "What Planet Are you From?" junket that his next film will be a remake of Alec Guiness' classic "Kind Hearts and Coronets" starring Robin Williams in the Guiness role. The part calls for Williams to play up to 9 different roles. Elaine May is currently working on a script.
Hope some of this stuff proved interesting,
Keyser
