Father Geek back with Elston's most recent WEEKLY RECAP for all of you to mull over this weekend. I'm glad to see our old FACULTY buddy Josh Hartnett is keeping good and busy. He's got 4 flicks due out this year and after PEARL HARBOR for Micheal Bay he's got BLACK HAWK DOWN lined up for Ridley Scott, he's also got the lead to 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS Directed by Michael Lehmann worked in there somewhere. Looks like he has throughly broken out of the teenage typecasted mire that sucks down many talented actors and moved straight on to strong grownup roles. Good work, Josh. It seems like he and fellow FACULTY alum Elijah Wood (LORD OF THE RINGS and CHAIN OF FOOLS) will be gracing the big screen with their roles for a long time to come. It couldn't happen to two nicer guys either.

TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

CASTING

* Paulina Porizkova, Judd Nelson and Larry Drake are starring in the indie thriller ASYLUM for writer/director Gregory Gieras (THE WHISPERING). The project, to be shot in Bucharest, follows a female psychiatrist who goes up against a maniacal killer in an abandoned asylum. Her help comes in the form of a janitor who may have been a previous inmate.

* Brad Renfro (APT PUPIL), Carly Pope ("Popular") and Lesley Ann Warren are in negotiations to star in the psychological thriller THROUGH THE SKIN for writer/director Aaron Shuster, which begins production in March in Toronto. It's based on a real-life murder and focuses on three teenagers who play dangerous mind games with tragic consequences. Hip-hop artist Tricky will handle soundtrack duties.

* The 2000 Rose Queen, Sophia Bush, will star in MGM's I WANT KANDEE about a teen pop singer who wants to be an ordinary kid. She then runs away to visit her stepsister, changes her look and enrolls in a high school. Nigel Dick is in talks to direct.

* Josh Hartnett (PEARL HARBOR) will star in Revolution Studios' BLACK HAWK DOWN for director Ridley Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It's based on the true story of the longest sustained battle involving American troops since Vietnam. It took place in Somalia on Oct. 3, 1993. Production on the pic begins Feb. 23.

* Antonio Banderas is in final talks to star in the action movie ECKS VS. SEVER for Thai director Kaos (FHA). Alan McElroy wrote the screenplay about a covert operative who must battle his nemesis in cat-and-mouse mortal combat until the two realize they must join forces to defeat another enemy.

* R&B artist Tyrese is in talks to star in John Singleton's BABY BOY for Columbia Pictures about a young unemployed man who lives with his mom and splits his time between with the mother of his child and another woman.

* Comedian Bernie Mac (THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY) is in talks to join the cast of OCEAN'S ELEVEN, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack flick. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Alan Arkin will also star in the Steven Soderbergh-directed pic.

* Ian Gomez ("Felicity," "Norm") joins the Tom Hanks/Rita Wilson romantic comedy MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING.

* Jon Seda (PRICE OF GLORY) joins Adrien Brody in LOVE THE HARD WAY for director Peter Sehr. Pam Grier and Charlotte Ayanna also star.

* Michael Weston (LUCKY NUMBERS) and Cristen Coppen (ROAD TRIP) have taken roles in SLAP HER, SHE'S FRENCH starring Piper Perabo. Production begins in November.

* Susanna Thompson ("Once & Again") will play Kevin Costner's wife in DRAGONFLY for Universal and director Tom Shadyac.

* Seth Green joins John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts and Billy Crystal in AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS for Revolution Studios. He'll play a publicist gearing up to replace Crystal's character.

* Elizabeth Hurley will play the title role in Mandaylay Pictures' SERVICING SARAH, also starring Matthew Perry. Reginald Hudlin will direct the comedy, which starts shooting Dec. 27. It's about a process server and a New York wife who take a road trip to Texas to serve her husband with divorce papers.

* Hayden Christensen (upcoming STAR WARS EPISODE II) will join Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas in LIFE AS A HOUSE where Scott will play a troubled teen. Irwin Winkler will direct from a script by Mark Andrus (AS GOOD AS IT GETS).

* Gene Hackman will star in THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS for Disney and director Wes Anderson. Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke and Owen Wilson and Bill Murray will also star in the pic about a dysfuctional family of geniuses. Shooting is slated to begin in March.

* Al Pacino is attached to star in BETSY AND THE EMPEROR as Napoleon Bonaparte for director Patrice Chereau. The project is expected to shoot next year.

* John Cleese will play Nearly-Headless Nick in HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE for director Chris Columbus.

* Julianna Margulies will join the cast of the indie drama pic THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, also starring Andy Garcia, Jason Robards and Mick Jagger. It's about a novelist who begins working at an escort service to help pay the bills. His rocky relationship with his wife leads him to an involvement with a rich woman whose husband is a successful writer. George Hickenlooper (BIG BRASS RING) will direct from a script by Phil Lasker.

DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS

* Danny Huston will direct his late father John Huston's long-lost screenplay AMPARO about a screenwriter with writer's block who travels to Mexico for inspiration. There, he falls for a young Latina prostitute named Amparo during a "Day of the Dead" festival in a rural village.

* Jonathan Demme is in talks to direct INTOLERABLE CRUELTY for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment with Hugh Grant and Tea Leoni eyed to star. The story centers on a divorce lawyer who frames a client's wife to get his client released from his marriage without a settlement. The ex-wife then vows for revenge by marrying the divorce attorney and taking her ex for everything he has. Joel and Ethan Coen penned the original draft while Jake Hogan and Barabara Benedek handled rewriting chores.

* Adam Resnick (LUCKY NUMBERS) will rewrite the DreamWorks comedy DATE SCHOOL, in which Ben Stiller is attached to star as a dating instructor who falls for a pupil.

* Ann Cherkis sold her untitled romantic thriller pitch to The Canton Co. and Senator Entertainment. The pitch is a contemporary retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story RAPPACINI'S DAUGHTER with the new version centering on a New York couple who realize they are a somehow involved a feud that is centuries old. Cherkis will script.

* Gustavo Mosquera (MOEBIUS) will direct THE LONG HELLO AND SHORT GOODBYE for Lion Rock Prods. and Newmarket Group. Jeff Vintar scripted the RASHOMON-esque style story that begins with a roomful of corpses and flashes back to how each character ended up there.

* Cedric the Entertainer (THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY) and William Stokes will write PREACHING AIN'T EASY for Universal Pictures/ Overbrook Entertainment based on an idea by Cedric's manager, Eric Rhone. It's about four eclectic preachers who join together to save a church. Cedric is hoping to cast Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac in the pic with him.

* Stephen Gyllenhaal (LOSING ISAIAH) will direct THE ITALIAN for Miracle Entertainment about an ordianary man with a unique talent he keeps a secret. When those close to him think his secret is an extramarital affair, he begins to reveal the truth, which ultimately leads to his reconciliation with his son. Danny Fischer and Katherine "Boo" Maciaszek scripted. Shooting begins in March in New York.

* Maral Nigolian is working on a documentary about the search for R&B legend Screamin' Jay Hawkin's 75 or more children. U.K.'s October Films will produce.

* Terry Gilliam (12 MONKEYS') will direct GOOD OMENS for Renaissance Films about an angel and a demon who are sent to find the Antichrist who has been lost on Earth. Shooting is set to begin near the end of 2001. Gilliam and Tony Grisoni are adapting the Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman book.

* Nicholas Hytner (THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE) will direct LOS ALAMOS for Renaissance Films about a murder investigation during the development of the nuclear bomb in 1945.

* Dan Rosen (DEAD MAN'S CURVE) sold his pitch RAT'S TALE to Crusader Entertaintment for Sid and Marty Krofft to produce. It's a comedic retelling of CINDERELLA from the point of view of the rat who is turned into Cinderella's coachmen, therefore causing him to believe the turn of events is his fairy tale.

* Michael Haussman is in talks to direct TAKEDOWN for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer about a U.S. marshal who is after an assassin who raped and nearly killed a former lover. However, the assassin is also protected by another branch of the government. It's based on DEADLY FORCE: IN THE STREETS WITH THE U.S. MARSHALS by Carsten Stroud. Production may begin in February or March.

* Adam Rifkin (DETROIT ROCK CITY) will direct WITHOUT CHARLIE starring Judy Greer (JAWBREAKER) about a young woman who is dealing with her first real break-up. Production begins next month.

* Paul Hunter is in talks to direct New Line's WESTWARD, a psychological thriller about a woman who travels across the country after begin acquitted of her husband's murder. While on the road, she is stalked by a mysterious person with murder on their mind. Anthony Jaswinski scripted.

* Michell Gallagher will direct RAT IN THE CAN for Gold Circle Films about a gambler/former child star and a young man, who both have their eye on the same girl. Robert Forster, Kip Pardue (REMEMBER THE TITANS), Rose McGowan and Harry Hamlin will star.

* Stephan Elliott (THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT) will direct DARKER SAINTS, an indie thriller about an anthropologist who helps find her prostitute twin sister's murderer. Tony Kayden wrote the script.

* Jay Roach is in talks to direct the George Wing script 50 FIRST KISSES for Columbia. The comedy follows a man who falls in love with a woman with a short-term memory disorder, causing him to constantly make her fall in love with him.

* David Kartch will rewrite and direct THE GIRL NEXT DOOR for Fox 2000/Daybreak Prods. about a high schooler who falls in love with a former porn star when she moves in next door. David Wagner and Brent Goldberg wrote the script.

* Shawn Levy will direct LOST AND FOUND for Universal starring Frankie Muniz ("Malcolm in the Middle"). It's about a young boy whose essay for school ends up in the possession of a Hollywood producer, who wants to turn it into a movie. Peter Tollin and Brian Robbins will produce the project. Dan Schneider (GOOD BURGER) scripted.

* Cynthia Cidre (THE FALCONER) will adapt Maeve Binchy's best-selling novel TARA ROAD for Pageturner Prods.

* Alfred Uhry (DRIVING MISS DAISY) will adapt THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK for Fox 2000 for a new feature to be produced next year. With the rights granted by Anne Frank Fonds, the project will use prose from the actual diary. Marc Platt will produce.

* Stephen Daldry (BILLY ELLIOT) is in talks to direct Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore in THE HOURS based on the book by Michael Cunningham about three women from different time periods and their common thread of Virginia Woolf's MRS. DALLOWAY.

* Ron Bass has written the adaptation of French novelist Marc Levy's IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE for DreamWorks and director P.J. Hogan. Production is hoped to begin before the strike deadlines.

* Naomi Foner will write the screen adaptation of PARIS UNDERGROUND by Etta Shiber for Gaylord Films. The book is about two women, one American, the other French, who join together to save Allied soldiers caught behind enemy lines during World War II. Gaylord Films is in talks with Julianne Moore and Winona Ryder to star.

* Quentin Tarantino will direct Uma Thurman in KILL BILL, described as a revenge film, for Miramax and A Band Apart. He is currently writing the script. Production may begin in the spring.

* Jay Russell (MY DOG SKIP) will develop and direct two romantic comedy pics for Warner Bros. INDEPENDENCE, MISSISSIPPI is about a town that secedes from the United States to boost tourism and its economy. James Vanderbilt scripted. The second pic is THE BELLE, by Steven Berger, about a young woman in Atlanta who is obsessed with GONE WITH THE WIND.

* John Killoran's script GOOD AND DEAD, about a guy who fakes his death to escape his overbearing girlfriend, was picked up by Casey Silver's Gone Fishin' Prods.

* Bel-Air Entertainment purchased the Jay Friedman-penned action script DIAMOND DOGS about a reformed jewel thief who is persuaded to take part in possibly the biggest transcontinental robbery ever.

* David Baer will star, direct and produce the full-length feature ANGRYMAN based on his award-winning film short. Production begins next month. It's about a young man who seeks revenge after being sick of the world. Ione Skye and Debbie Matenopoulous will also star.

MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS

* Michael Mann, producer Jon Peters and Columbia Pictures have reached an agreement to make ALI, the Muhammad Ali biopic to star Will Smith. The film has been budgeted at about $105 million with the filmmakers agreeing to pay any overages. Shooting is slated for January.

* Warner Bros. has optioned PET PEEVES, Chris Tougas's unpublished children's book about the world's biggest jerk who is visited by a monster made out of his worst character traits. He has one day to straighten up and fly right, or else there will be a massive invasion from the pet peeve underworld. Robert Lawrence will produce.

* Mimi Leder (PAY IT FORWARD) has exited her directing post on the DreamWorks pic COLLATERAL due to budgetary issues. The Stuart Beattie script is about a cab driver who realizes he's been driving around an assassin all night.

* Producer David Friendly and financier Marc Turtletaub are developing two projects: the comedy DOMESTIC RELATIONS, about divorce attorneys to be written by Aline Brosh-McKenna, based on an idea by Friendly; the second project is a romantic comedy in the vein of THE STING, based on an idea by David Higgins.

* Universal Pictures and producer Larry Gordon have secured the feature rights to JOE DIMAGGIO: THE HERO'S LIFE, the nonfiction book by Richard Ben Cramer. The book explores the myth of the legendary baseball player, his personal life and his three obsessions: money, Marilyn Monroe and his image as a hero.

* Twentieth Century Fox has scheduled summer release dates for four of its major films: MOULIN ROUGE will open June 1, DOCTOR DOLITTLE 2 will be released on June 8, KISS OF THE DRAGON, starring Jet Li, will hit theaters on July 6 and Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES is set for July 27.

This week of movie news was rather interesting. Interesting indeed. Have you noticed that "indeed" seems to be a heavily used word of late? I hear/read/use it all the time. Nonetheless, I find it most interesting that Danny Huston will direct a long-lost script by his father, John Huston. Hope it's good. Maybe there was a reason it was long-lost.

ALI is back on track. Anxious to see what Michael Mann accomplishes with it, Smith too. Finally some news about Tarantino's next to hit the trades. Another THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK pic to be produced, but this will be based on the actual diary. Gilliam seems to be closer and closer to actually directing GOOD OMENS. Will it finally happen? "Kings of Comedy" Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac are keeping busy with projects mentioned this week. Jonathan Demme may direct a script originally penned by the Coen Brothers. Sounds cool. The cast of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is rounding out. Can't wait.

Until next week...Happy Halloween.

Elston Gunn

elstongunn@hotmail.com