Cool News
Weekly Recap: Of the week of Hollywood News!
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
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+ Expand All
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Kate Winslett in a picture about the Marquis de Sade!!! I think I might have to go take a cold shower. On another note, this is the first I've heard about Sydney Crawford Wants To Bone Me but this whole concept sounds outrageously funny. I can't wait to hear more about this picture.
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OK, so they're mainstream...but nobody can truly say they dont laugh at their films. I mean, my favourite of the 3 so far is Kingpin ("hey everybody get outta here, theres a shit cloud coming!") ...hehe (GET TO THE POINT ASSHOLE)
Ok right, does anyone remember what happened to that farrely brothers project that Jim Carrey and Woody Allen were gonna star in..um, 'Stuck on You' i think it was called, about siamese twins ?
Anyway, i thought that was a better concept than Me, Myself and Irene. -
Shit! I just read that book! It was very good, and the whole way through I was thinking "how come they haven't turned this into a movie yet?" Anyway, what took so long? Keanu Reeves is probably one of the bad guys, because he's not old enough to play Bob Lee Swagger. They should get Harrison Ford to play the lead role, and Bruce Campbell to play the cop.
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I didn't know about this flick till I saw it mentioned in AICN a couple of weeks back. This one sounds like a winner. F.W.Murnau was the TRUE pioneer of German cinema, as far as I'm concerned. NOSFERATU EINE SYMPHONIE DES GRAUENS holds up as well today as it did in 1922. While I'm also a fan of Werner Herzog's 1979 remake, Max Schreck will always reign as King Vampire in my book. His portrayal of Count Orlock (remember, Bram Stoker's novel was still copyrighted when this "pirated" version was filmed), puts every other screen vampire to shame. Bela Lugosi? Please. Christopher Lee? Too cultured and refined. Ditto Frank Langella. Schreck's vampire reeks from the grave. He truly embodies the living dead. Since little is known about the actor himself, it adds to the mistique. Hopefully BURNED TO LIGHT will shed some light on Schreck and the controversial Murnau. I can't wait for this one!! On another note, I'm glad John Goodman is appearing in another Coen brothers movie.
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I'm not really looking forward to the Tomb Raider movie, since I'm sick of hearing about Lara Croft in general, but I was at least interested before, since I heard that Luc Besson was directing (According to imdb.) Plus I heard that Liz Hurley was going to star, and she seems like she could actually give some substance to the role, if anybody could. I haven't heard much about Stephen Herek, but with movies like Critters and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead under his belt, he sounds like a real auteur filmmaker. (no, of course I'm not being sarcastic) The writer (de Souza) has done some cool stuff... maybe it'll all be ok after all.
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I can guarantee you Tomb Raider won't be worse than the god awful piece of shit, the Super Mario Bros movie. For one thing, making the transition from computer/video game to the big screen is a lot easier for Tomb Raider, because it's more realistic than Mario Bros. I just don't want to end up seeing another tasteless trash like Super Mario Bros the movie.
Hey Harry, remember your review on Soldier and how you got so damn pissed off at how tastelss, incompetant, uneasy, and just plain bad it was? Well, that's the same way I feel about the Super Mario Bros movie. If Hollywood is going to make computer/video game live-action features, their top priority is to make them faithful to fans. I beg filmmakers to make adaptions of computer/video games right. Please make the Tomb Raider movie look right.
By the way, if any of you people think Super Mario Bros was a faithful film based on the games, you are either drunk off your asses or you haven't played the game. I've seen the film and I can tell you in detail just how bad it is, nitpicking and all. -
From what I understand, the Farrellys are going to do "Stuck on You" after "Me, Myself, and Irene".
They wanted to get Woody Allen and maybe Matt Damon to play the siamese twins (one has a degenerative disorder that causes him to age faster than the other), but they couldn't get Allen so they put it on hold. Really tho, after the success of "Dumb and Dumber", the brothers coming off of "Mary" and Carrey coming off of "Truman Show", can you blame them for doing this one first? They start shooting it here in R.I. on May 19 (why does that date sound so familiar?) so maybe I can sneak a peek at them filming. Also, three cheers for John Goodman teaming up with the Coens again, two great tastes that taste great together. -"This is what happens when you let a stranger fuck you in the ass!" -
You know I thought Wes Craven was doing "Fifty Violins" with Streep...or is that done filming yet...It sounded like it could be Craven's "breakout" mainstream film...like Rami with "A Simple Plan"
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Nifty
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Normally, Woody does a Fall Project, but this year he's opted to film in the summer. That signals to me that he's freeing up his fall/winter to work with the Farrelly Brothers. That would, however, really fill Woody's dance card, seeing as how he's currently doing reshoots for his Fall Project from '98. Oh, well..... the man does love to work. I just hope we get a good movie out of the deal (a little disappointed with his output the last three years with CELEBRITY, DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, and EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU. Also, I wasn't an admirer of ANTZ; although, Harry sure liked it.)
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It is a little disappointing that Trimark will distribute the brothers W and George Romero film Carnivore. Trimark is a company that does direct to video releases, and I think this film has great box office potential. The only good news is that George is going to shoot the balls off this one, and no studio wanted to touch it due to the rating factor.
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Of course, the moment
I heard about this
project I assumed they
would involve John in
a small role if
nothing else. No one
writes for Goodman
like the Coens! And
keeping John busy in
films means he won't
have to suffer through
quite as many lame SNL
skits for a while
like the one last
week with him at an
adult literacy
class--truly
cringeworthy, although
the Home Shopping/doll
sale sketch was
good--John's great for
latent
hostility/sweaty
desperation ala
"Barton Fink!" -
I really despised this movie when I first heard about it, figuring it for another Shadowlands or Gods & Monsters (what? you haven't the guts to imagine Narnia or mad scientists, so you're going
to make a movie about someone who could? Morons.)
The main story of BTL, tho,
involves Murnau (Malkovich)
hiring Schreck (Dafoe) to play Orlock, not knowing that Schreck is the real thing.
To me, that's darned cool. Those of you who want BTL to
give us new insights are gonna prob. be disappointed tho. -
Sounds very interesting, I cant wait to see that movie...
BTW, you know what I like most about the NOSFERATU Vampire (at least in the Herzog-Movie)? That he has long incisors instead of long canine teeth. Should be damn easier to suck blood with... -
What is the status of Battle field Earth? Is it finally being made? What role is Travolta playing?
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