Here's the weekly recap from Elston Gunn. The news is pulled from the Reuters/Yahoo site, which reprints news from Hollywood Reporter and Variety, but incase you missed it, here it is, hopefully Elston can do this weekly or even daily, but hey it's up to him, he did a nice job here of boiling it down to the essentials. The other bit from last week that Elston missed is from CINESCAPE.com and is about Spielberg saying that the next Indiana Jones film will be ready for Summer 2001. Here ya go with the rest...
Taken from Reuters:
I'm Elston Gunn and here is a basic weekly recap for those of you who don't read the Yahoo Entertainment news. This stuff is usually official so it's basically rumor free.
CASTING: (signed)
* Christa Miller (THE DREW CAREY SHOW) will play the lead in the indie feature GOAT ON FIRE AND SMILING FISH.
* Michael Clarke Duncan (ARMAGEDDON) and Barry Pepper (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) will play John Coffey and a prison guard respectively in THE GREEN MILE.
* Jennifer Esposito (SPIN CITY) is set to co-star in Spike Lee's Son of Sam movie SUMMER OF SAM.
* Freddy Prinze, Jr. and Rachel Leigh Cook will star in teen flick SHE'S ALL THAT for Miramax.
* Len Lesser (Uncle Leo from SEINFELD) will star in indie flick FIREFLIES.
* Vanessa Marcil (THE ROCK) has signed on to do 2 indie films NICE GUYS SLEEP ALONE and THIS SPACE BETWEEN US.
* Whitney Houston is to star and produce Eric Jerome Dickey's novel FRIENDS AND LOVERS with the makers of SOUL FOOD.
* Tara Reid and Mena Suvari will both star in the upcoming comedy GREAT FALLS about 4 boys who want to lose their virginity on prom night or die trying.
* Shawn Hatosy (THE FACULTY) joined the cast of Wayne Wang's upcoming ANYWHERE BUT HERE.
* Alicia Silverstone is set to star and executive produce STAND BY YOUR MAN written by FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR'S creator Andy Borowitz.
(in talks)
* James Woods may join THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER.
* Sharon Stone may star in CRIMES OF OPPORTUNITY directed by actor Peter Coyote.
* Rob Lowe is in talks to star as a DJ who witnesses a murder in indie flick STATISTICS dir. by James Hickox (CHILDREN OF THE CORN III).
DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* Todd Phillips (FRATHOUSE) has been tapped to direct A LEONARD COHEN AFTERWORLD written by Scott Rosenberg about the weekend of Kurt Cobain's funeral.
* Eriq LaSalle (ER) will direct Sean Penn and Marlon Brando, who are also producing, in a feature about Black Panthers defense minister Geronimo Platt.
* Black Panther-turned screenwriter Jamal Joseph has signed to adapt the story of musical prodigy DeWitt White into a movie.
* Gus Van Sant is set to direct BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN about two gay cowboys.
* Tribeca Filmshas hired Michael Schiffer to write a script for Robert DeNiro to direct and star in. Pretty secretive.
CURRENT PRODUCTION NEWS
* WITH FIRE AND SWORD, Poland's costliest movie ever made, completed filming. It stars Izabella Scorupco (GOLDENEYE).
* Gary Busey, Miranda Richardson, and Ice-T starring in the kid movie JACOB TWO TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG. Filming began in Toronto earlier this month.
MISC.
* Jurassic Park 3 is on the way. Speilberg is not directing, but producing. Crichton is writing the story.
* NBC and Paramount are close to finalizing a deal to co-finance feature films produced by SNL boss man Lorne Michaels.
* Norm NacDonald's BALLBUSTED has been picked up by Universal. It is written by the MAN ON THE MOON and PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT writers.
That about does it. REALLY REALLY basic, but if I get to do this I will later include a little more info. (plot, production company, etc.) and little bitty editorials perhaps. Thanks. Elston Gunn.
