Now we have news on Jonathon Demme's BELOVED and Frank Darabont's THE GREEN MILE. When I talked to Demme briefly at this year's SXSW he seemed quite pleased with the project and was a bit shocked that I had heard the screening went well. Personally I've been a fan of Demme's from waaaaaay back in the Corman days, and it pleases the hell out of me that filmmakers that studied under Corman continue their amazing success streak. And as for Darabont's THE GREEN MILE, I've heard a rumor that the 1st draft of the script is about to appear on the net, so before it does let me tell you that the script has been tightened and improved beyond the fantastic 1st Draft most of you will inevitably be seeing. But remember, that's not the final draft.

Long time reader, first time writer.

Re: "Beloved" Jonathon Demme is so incredibly proud of this film, he's calling it "the best work he's ever done." And this is from the man behind "Silence of the Lambs". I read the script over a year ago, and it was incredibly true to the novel by Toni Morrison. The opening sequence was disturbing and frightening to read, and unnervingly violent, too (a dog is brutally attacked by a ghost). Just as in the novel, there are many layers to the script, and with Demme as the visionary I firmly believe this will be one of, if not the best movie of the year.

Re: "The Green Mile" Frank Darabont (writer/director) sweated blood over the script, but ultimately is very happy with the result. He squeezed all those books into a tight 128 page script, and even said he could cut a couple of pages if he needed to. Now Frank is renowned for his devotion to every word he writes, even down to the punctuation and the margins, so admitting he'd easily cut two pages is really saying something. I asked if he managed to include the scenes at the retirement home, and he said it's all in there. As a side note, those of you interested in all things Darabont might want to catch HBO on July 31. "Black Cat Run" is a Darabont-penned (but not helmed) car chase flick premiering that evening.

Some may wonder how I come by this information. Rather than divulge the lowly rung from which I hang on the production ladder, suffice it to say I pay attention to what is going on around me. Also, when I find myself standing near a filmmaker I admire I bite the shy bullet and go up and ask (hopefully) intelligent questions. I'll be attending tonight's "American Graffiti" 25th anniversary screening and panel discussion, so if I hear anything interesting I'll pass it along.

Call me Ishmael. Or, better yet, Production Babe.