The RE-CAP!!!

Imagine and Universal have struck a deal for Ken Nolan's gritty action script "The Quick Killing." The deal snared the writer $800,000, which will rise to a low seven-figure fee if the film gets made, sources said. Imagine principal Brian Grazer will produce. The script centers on a retired mob hitman who's lured back into business by big money for an "easy" two-day job that goes awry. Nolan's script never went beyond Imagine and Universal because the scribe has a first-look deal there after penning "The Long Rains." Sources said the studio jumped because they feel it will be a magnet for an A-list star.

The Perfect Score

Paramount Pictures is close to a deal to acquire Marc Hyman's original pitch "The Perfect Score." The deal, potentially worth a mid-six-figure sum, calls for Hyman to pen the tale, described as "The Usual Suspects" set in a high school. Hyman's other credits include the original animated script "Fish Out of Water" for DreamWorks, and the animated tale "Osmosis Jones" for Warner Bros.

TheBlack Dahlia

"Seven" helmer David Fincher has made a deal to develop the James Ellroy novel "The Black Dahlia" as a directing vehicle, possibly to follow his next film, the Fox 2000 adaptation of "The Fight Club." Though Ellroy has become a suddenly hot author after the Curtis Hanson-directed adaptation of his novel "L.A. Confidential," Fincher has had a long dalliance with "Dahlia," a fictionalization of the never-solved murder of Elizabeth Short. Ellroy turned it into a tale of obsession between two tough L.A. cops in 1949 who both fall for the dead woman. A tangled trail of clues leads to an eventual solving of the murder, but not before the lives of both men are destroyed. The book was optioned several years ago by producer Rudy Cohen. His April Prods. is partnering with Moshe Diamant's Signature Entertainment, which will sell foreign rights. Signature has a first-look deal at Columbia Pictures, so that studio will get first shot at domestic rights. "We're so excited about having David, because he'll bring out the true flavor of James Ellroy," Cohen said. Fincher is poised to next direct "Fight Club," with Fox 2000 making pay-or-play offers after Brad Pitt approved the Jim Uhls script. Pitt's expected to star with Edward Norton, with Courtney Love high on a list to play the female lead when the film begins shooting in June.

NFL

Director Oliver Stone is getting closer to the goal line on a pro-football project, which is attracting a stellar lineup of stars poised to play ball for Warner Bros. The project is an amalgamation of three existing projects, scripted by John Logan and to be produced by Lauren Shuler-Donner, Stone and Dan Halsted. Dish hears George Clooney is interested in playing a superstar quarterback forced to play hurt to keep ahead of a young phenom. For that role, Stone and WB are in talks with rap impresario Sean "Puffy" Combs to make his starring debut. Also in the mix are names like Al Pacino, Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes. But WB brass is calling the signals here, and everything is contingent on the studio OK'ing the budget and giving Stone the OK to say "hike."

Brown's Requiem

Michael Rooker, who starred in "Rosewood" and "The Replacement Killers," has signed to play the lead in "Brown's Requiem," a $5 million film noir. The independent project, which is based on the James Ellroy novel, is the story of repo man Fritz Brown (Rooker), who is hired to expose an illegal bookmaking racket headed by a corrupt police officer. It will be adapted by first-time director Jason Freeland.

Ravenous

Hoping to revive its feature "Ravenous," which has been shut down since director Milcho Manchevski was let go more than a week ago, Fox has struck a deal with Antonia Bird to take the helm of the picture. While Bird is in Prague and has signed to direct the film, sources at the studio and close to the production said a new start date has not been set. And a Fox source said the film "is still up in the air." Originally, Fox had sent for "Home Alone 3" helmer Raja Gosnell to take the reins of "Ravenous" soon after Manchevski left. However, as evidence of his newfound clout, "Ravenous" co-star Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty") is understood to have requested Bird for the job. Bird previously directed Carlyle in two films, "Face" in 1997 and the controversial 1994 picture "Priest." Cast and crew are said to be still on location in Prague awaiting a start date.

The Dead Hollywood Mom's Society

Paramount Pictures is developing a feature version of the best-selling murder mystery "The Dead Hollywood Mom's Society," which takes a satirical look at Hollywood family life. The studio teamed up with producer Mace Neufeld to optionthe film rights from author Lindsay Maracotta in a deal worth up to the mid-six figures. The book, which went into three printings after its 1996 publication by William Morrow, is the first in a series featuring the character of Lucy Freers, an animator and producer's wife turned gumshoe. In the first installment, Freers finds a body in her backyard and then pairs up with a streetwise police detective to find the killer. Subsequent installments include "The Dead Celeb," published last year, and "Playing Dead," due out later this year.

Rocket Boys

Laura Dern, Chris Cooper and Natalie Canerday are set to co-star in "Rocket Boys," which began shooting Monday in eastern Tennessee. They join the young cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, William Lee Scott, Chad Lindberg and Chris Owen. Gyllenhaal stars as a young man vying for his father's (Cooper) attention, who bands with his friends to build a rocket in a small mining town during the late 1950s. Canerday ("Sling Blade") will play the boy's mother, and Dern will play a teacher. Joe Johnston directs the modestly budgeted Universal project from a script by Lewis Colick, based on Homer Hickum's upcoming Delacorte autobiography.

Rachel's Holiday

Disney has optioned Irish author Marian Keyes' novel "Rachel's Holiday," which is a current bestseller in Britain. The dramatic story -- with comic moments -- revolves around a young woman's drug addiction. After an overdose of sleeping pills, she loses her boyfriend, her best friend and her job before flying from New York to a Dublin rehab clinic. Keyes recently returned home to Dublin after more than 10 years in London, where she wrote her first novel, "Watermelon," and "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married."

Seagal buys Novel

Actor-turned-producer Steven Seagal has made his first venture into literary acquisitions, picking up film rights to two novels, "White Star" and "House of Thunder." The projects are slated for development into medium-to-high-budgeted films, according to Seagal, who said the pictures were intended to "complement the smaller, more specialized and genre films we're currently readying for production." "White Star" (Pocket Star Books) concerns a New York attorney who finds that people close to him are the targets of a master marksman he enountered on a mission in Vietnam. It was written by James Thayer. "House of Thunder" (Transworld) is about a former jungle warfare specialist turned anthropologist who teams up with a shaman, an Amazonian tribesman and a scientist to keep a runaway cruise missile from getting into the wrong hands. It was written by Guy Alimo. The actor's Seagal/Nasso Prods., which he runs with Julius R. Nasso, currently has two films in post-production: the Seagal action movie "The Patriot" and the specialized picture "Not Even the Trees."

Black to the Future

Warner Bros. is developing a comedy with the working title "Black to the Future," about two gangsta rappers who travel back through time, visiting significant points in history. The studio has hired Takashi Bufford (Booty Call, St It Off) to script under a six-figure deal. The story is based on a pitch from scribes Adam Broder and Tony Abrams (the upcoming "Dead Man on Campus"), who will each get a producer credit.

Molly

Aaron Eckhart, who earned raves for his feature debut as the unctuous misogynist in Neil LaBute's "In the Company of Men," has landed the lead opposite Elisabeth Shue in MGM's "Molly." The fact-based picture is about a man (Eckhart) who takes care of his autistic sister (Shue) after she is released from an institution. Soon after, a miraculous medical treatment is discovered that not only cures the woman of her autism, but transforms her into a genius. John Duigan ("Lawn Dogs," "Sirens") will direct from Dick Christie's script. Production is expected to begin later next month.

Impostor

Gary Fleder is in talks to direct Dimension Films' tentatively titled "Impostor" -- the second part of a three-part film on relationships between humans and aliens. If the deal is completed, the "Kiss the Girls" director would do the project almost immediately, then follow it up with Universal Pictures' "Thieves." The first part of the film, called "Alien Love Triangle," recently completed shooting. It was directed by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") and stars Kenneth Branagh, Courteney Cox and Heather Graham.

Agarta Universe

MDP Worldwide will finance, produce and distribute the $35 million action-adventure "Agarta Universe," a joint venture with Art+Technic Holland and Singapore-based Ultrapolis 3000 Theme Park Investments. "Universe" is based on the legend of Agarta Citadel, which holds that the city disappeared under the desert to protect itself from evil forces. In order for the lost city to reappear, the pieces of an ancient tome must be reassembled. The Southeast Asia mystery then takes on a new dimension when a scientist uncovers a 7,000-year-old stone in Borneo that has the word "Agarta" written on it with the emblem of an hibiscus flower.

More Dogs than bones

Michael Browning, who penned Buena Vista's Ivan Reitman-directed "6 Days, 7 Nights" starring Harrison Ford, will write and make his directorial debut with Dream Entertainment's "More Dogs Than Bones." It is the story of a mob boss en route from New York to Los Angeles who has to stuff a bag of cash into the valise of an unsuspecting Nepalese man visiting America for the first time. When the mob boss sends two of his men to retrieve the bag, all goes awry, starting with the accidental shootings of two skinheads and ending with the deaths of those trying to get the money.

Casting News

-Comedian Adam Sandler, currently enjoying box office success with New Line's "The Wedding Singer," has signed a $12.5 million deal to star in another comedy for the studio. In the father-son relationship comedy, Sandler would star as the reluctant successor to the family business, which is currently being overseen by his father -- the devil. The deal is "pay-or-play," meaning Sandler will get paid even if the as- yet-untitled project does not go ahead. New Line paid $2 million for the project, based on a one-line pitch -- $1 million of which has been designated for the writing services of Tim Herlihy (who scripted "The Wedding Singer"). Sandler recently agreed to star in "Guy Gets Kid," a comedy project at TriStar Pictures set for a summer shoot, and then he will immediately segue to the New Line project.

-Miguel A. Nunez Jr., star of UPN's canceled sitcom "Sparks," has signed to play a major role in "Life," Universal's prison-break comedy toplining Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Ted Demme is directing "Life," which is set for a March shooting start. Nunez recently wrapped work on director Gregory Nava's Warner Bros. project "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," in which he portrayed singer Little Richard. Other film credits include Universal's recent holiday release "For Richer or Poorer."

-Alec Baldwin, who currently is in previews of "Macbeth" at New York's Public Theater, has agreed to star in the indie crime drama "Thick as Thieves." Set in Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis, the film's twisty plot focuses on a professional crook who seeks revenge against a crime lord for whom he once worked.

-Danny Nucci, who played leonardo DiCaprio's Italian sidekick Fabrizio in "Titanic," has inked to star in three indie films. "Shark in a Bottle" is a black comedy shooting in March under director Robin Russin. Nucci plays a punk mailman who witnesses a massacre, is mistaken for the killer and is recruited by a murder-for-hire outfit. The second pic, "Friends & Lovers," shoots in April under writer-director George Haas. Nucci will star with Stephen Baldwin, Alison Eastwood and Robert Downey Jr. as one of several friends whose Christmas skiing vacation proves bumpy. The third pic is "Tuesday's Letters," an offbeat love story set in a desert trailer park. Arthur Allan Seidelman will direct. Recently in the can for Nucci are three indie films - "The Unknown Cyclist," which screened at the Berlin Film Festival, "Sugar" and "Outfitters."

-"Ally McBeal" star Calista Flockhart is in final negotiations to join Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett in a feature adaptation of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The Fox Searchlight picture is slated to begin shooting April in Tuscany under Michael Hoffman's helm. Hoffman also wrote the script. Because "Ally McBeal" is not scheduled to wrap its season until the end of April, Fox Searchlight and the show's producer, David E. Kelley Prods., are working out a plan for Flockhart to shoot both projects. Flockhart's previous film credits include "Telling Lies in America," "Milk and Money" and "The Birdcage."

-Australian actor Heath Ledger has been cast in Disney's "Ten Things I Hate About You," an updated adaptation of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." Ledger, who starred in Fox's short-lived fantasy series "Roar," plays a high school senior who is "hired" to go out with a fellow student but then finds himself falling in love with her. Also joining the cast is Andrew Keegan, of Fox's "Party of Five" and the WB Network's "7th Heaven."

-Jason Raize, the 22-year-old star of Disney's Broadway hit "The Lion King," will take a short break from his Simba role this summer to make his feature film debut. The untitled film is about New Jersey high school kids who complete in annual fashion competitions between local schools. John Avildsen ("Rocky" and "The Karate Kid") will direct the independent project. "I'm calling it the untitled 'Romeo and Juliet' in Hoboken," Avildsen said. "It's kids and their dreams to be in the fashion industry. There are these modeling clubs where kids who are not affluent get a sense of worth and self-esteem trying to realize their dreams of breaking out of their eight-block world by making their own clothes or modeling them." Raize plays an aspiring Hispanic model who bonds with an Italian girl who works in her father's tailor shop and puts together her own clothing creations. The wannabe model has romantic designs on the girl, even though both families don't approve of the romance because of the ethnic differences. The script is by Virginia Clark and Marjorie Short.

-Illeana Douglas ("Grace of My Heart") has left Creative Artists Agency and signed with United Talent Agency, which has landed her a role in Warner Bros.' "Message in a Bottle" opposite Kevin Costner Douglas will play Lina, a researcher. Shooting is set to begin late March. Douglas' other acting credits include Gus Van Sant's "To Die For," "Bella Mafia," "Picture Perfect" and "Quiz Show." Douglas is developing "The Lost Army," a dark romantic comedy written by Kenny Lonergan, in which she'll have producing and starring roles. She's also starring in upcoming independent features "Hacks" and "Fly Paper."

-Young thesp Jesse James, who plays the young son of Helen Hunt's character in "As Good As It Gets," has been cast in the drama "Message in a Bottle" opposite Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn. The Warner Bros. project is slated for a holiday 1998 release. James will play Penn's son

Quick News

-Taye Diggs has been cast opposite Christina Ricci and Katie Holmes in "Swingers" director Doug Liman's "Go." The gritty Columbia comedy is slated to shoot in March and April.

-Seth Green has inked to join Disney spy thriller "Enemy of the State," playing opposite Will Smith and Gene Hackman. Tony Scott is helming; Jerry Bruckheimer is producing.

-Disney's Touchstone Pictures has picked up the teen romantic comedy "We the People," to be scripted by Amy and Adam Gershwin. The story is set in a summer camp and details the hijinks of young lovers at camp.

-Emilio Estevez and Steven Weber have signed to star in the indie comedy-drama "Late Last Night," being written and directed by Steven Brill.