Billy Bob Thornton Will Be Bad Santa

Billy Bob Thornton is set to play the title role in "Bad Santa," a Dimension Films comedy targeted for a Christmas 2003 release.

Production will begin July 8, with Terry Zwigoff directing. The "Crumb" documentarian made his dramatic debut on last year's "Ghost World."

"Bad Santa" follows two conmen who go on a road trip to malls dressed as Santa and his elf. Rather than spreading good cheer, the duo's motive is to rob each establishment, a strategy that becomes complicated when they encounter an 8-year-old who teaches them the true meaning of Christmas.

"Bad Santa" has been a priority picture at Dimension, the genre arm of Miramax Films. According to company co-chairman Bob Weinstein, the picture is shooting for an R rating.

"It is very much in the spirit of Terry Zwigoff and the Coen Brothers, with Santa as an alcoholic womanizer," Weinstein said. "At the same time, its hard edge is offset by its great heart, a combination which makes the film all the more appealing."

Weinstein lauded Thornton as an actor who can pull off the tone. Signing the Dimension deal brings the thesp back to the Weinsteins, who made "Sling Blade," the film that brought him a writing Oscar and defined him as an actor and filmmaker.

Aside from last year's Coens encounter, Thornton most recently starred in "Bandits" and "Monster's Ball." The thesp just wrapped the Ed Solomon-directed "Levity" and has been touring with his band in Europe. The U.S. leg of Thornton's musical foray starts May 17 at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles.

Luke Wilson Will Star Opposite Rocker Bob Dylan

Luke Wilson will star opposite rocker Bob Dylan in Intermedia Films' "Masked & Anonymous," the big-screen directorial debut of television writer-director-producer Larry Charles. The project is aimed to go into production in July.

Written by Rene Fontaine and Sergy Petrov, "Masked" is based on the unpublished short story "Los Vientos del Destino," written by Enrique Morales. It follows the story of Jack Fate (Dylan), a wandering troubadour brought out of prison by his former manager for one last concert, a charity benefit. The film ends with Fate playing a concert. Wilson is playing Bobby Cupid, a former roadie of Fate's who tends bar. He drops everything to join Fate in the charity concert.

When Dylan signed to the project in February, it marked his first acting role in 15 years. He also agreed to perform his music in the film. A strong soundtrack featuring Dylan's music is expected to accompany "Masked," though it is not yet known whether Dylan will write original material or use existing songs.

Wilson, repped by CAA, most recently starred onscreen in the Walt Disney Co.'s "The Royal Tenenbaums." He next stars in DreamWorks' "Old School" with Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell.

Darren Star "Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl

"Sex and the City" creator Darren Star is sticking to a familiar subject, but this time he's taking it to the big screen.

Star will adapt and direct Tracy Quan's book "Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl: A Nancy Chan Novel" for Sony-based Revolution Studios.

The book is based on Quan's successful Salon column. “A high-heeled walk on the wild side, Tracy Quan’s Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl is a nifty trick of a first novel, combining sexual slapstick with luxury-goods, hotel-lobby sociology, exposing female vanity and male self-delusion with equal aplomb. Juggling cell-phone calls and quirky clients, Quan’s Nancy Chan is like a Henry Miller heroine with the meter running, bouncing from one trampoline event to another while always keeping an eye on the bottom line. What will shock many is not the explicit play-by-play action but the knockabout, offhand humor–that’s what shocked people about Henry Miller, too. No artificial sweeteners here: Quan’s adventures in the skin trade deliver a cocktail kick.”

Star, whose other credits include "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place," created and worked on "Sex and the City" for the show's first two seasons. He subsequently created Fox's "The Street."

Ridley Scott to direct 'Matchstick Men

Ridley Scott is in negotiations to direct the Warner Bros. drama "Matchstick Men." Should a deal be reached, Scott likely would direct the project in the summer before directing 20th Century Fox's historical drama "Tripoli," which would go in the fall.

"Matchstick" would mark Scott's second pairing with Warners, with which he collaborated 20 years ago on "Blade Runner."

Based on the yet to be published novel by Eric Garcia, "Matchstick" is described as being in the vein of "Paper Moon." It is the story of a con man with an obsessive-compulsive disorder whose orderly life is threatened by the reappearance of a daughter he never knew existed.

Ted Griffin ("Ocean's Eleven") and his brother Nick adapted the project, which Warners optioned for mid-six figures two years ago. Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke are producing the project through their Warners-based Imagemovers with Sean Bailey ("Best Laid Plans") and Griffin.

Warners executive vp production Kevin McCormack is overseeing the project.

Scott most recently directed Revolution Studios' "Black Hawk Down," which earned him his third best directing Oscar nomination. He also was nominated for "Gladiator" and "Thema & Louise."

Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett in Cop drama

Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett are in talks to star in an untitled cop drama that Ron Shelton will start directing in the fall for Sony-based Revolution Studios.

The Hollywood-set project centers on a pair of cops who become involved in a crime that revolves around the music business as seen through the eyes of Shelton, who previously put a unique spin on sports pics as the writer-director of "Bull Durham" and "Tin Cup." He sold the unnamed project as a pitch he has since written with writer Robert Souza.

Ford has been looking for a project since completing the Kathryn Bigelow-directed submarine drama "K-19: The Widowmaker," in which he plays Capt. Alexi Vostrikov, commander of the nuclear missile. That drama will be released by Paramount July 19. The Shelton script is the one he's sweetest on, and a deal is likely to crystallize quickly.

Hartnett is coming off a strong performance in the Ridley Scott-directed Revolution drama "Black Hawk Down."

James Woods in "North Fork

The Polish Brothers, Michael and Mark, have landed James Woods to topline their new indie film "North Fork," a drama they will begin shooting this month in Montana.

The brothers are best known for "Twin Falls Idaho," and Michael will direct the new film with Mark portraying Woods' son in what the actor calls "a mystical story of the death of a town and the resurrection of a soul."

The duo offered the role to Woods when they wrote the script a year ago, but he was tied up and had to pass. That changed when they met up at a recent party and Woods asked when they were going to do the film he'd turned down. They told him they would start whenever he was ready.

"North Fork" concerns a town that is about to be covered by a manmade lake and the legends of angels that once inhabited the area.

"This is one of the most metaphysically beautiful scripts I've ever read," Woods said, "and I'm sure it will also be one of the most physically beautiful films. People will see this moving role as a departure for me, but it's really a return to the kind of acting I had always found most rewarding, a role about spiritual will rather than sheer physical will."

While Woods was surprised that the brothers had waited for him, the pair told him that their decision to become filmmakers came after their father brought home a video of the uncut version of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time in America," which Woods starred in with Robert De Niro.

'Narc' Rights in the Bag for Studio Pair

Paramount Pictures and Lions Gate Films have partnered for the first time on a domestic pickup, the Sundance hit "Narc" starring Jason Patric and Ray Liotta.

Lions Gate had acquired domestic rights to the police thriller at script stage; Tom Cruise's Paramount-based production company was enthused about the project upon its Sundance debut, after which the two studios negotiated a deal to distribute jointly in the United States.

Neither Paramount nor Lions Gate would detail the revenue split, but Paramount will handle all marketing and distribution for the picture, which is slated for release in the fourth quarter. Paramount is also negotiating with the film's financier Splendid Pictures to pickup distribution rights in three international territories.

"Narc" is the story of a suspended undercover narcotics officer (Patric) who is reluctantly drawn back onto the force to find the truth behind the murder of a young cop killed in the line of duty. He is teamed with the slain officer's partner (Liotta), a rogue cop who will stop at nothing to avenge his friend's death.

Will "Riding the Laddie." a literal remake of "The Wicker Man?

The director and producer of the 1973 horror picture "The Wicker Man" are distancing themselves from a remake in development at Universal Pictures.

Hoping to capitalize on the original picture's huge cult following, director Robin Hardy and producer Peter Snell have reteamed with "Wicker" star Christopher Lee to develop another horror picture, "Riding the Laddie."

Hardy says Vanessa Redgrave and Sean Astin have committed to the project, about two American evangelists who fall into the wrong hands when they travel to Glasgow to preach door-to-door.

The original "Wicker" concerns a Scottish policeman who travels to a remote Scottish island whose inhabitants practice bizarre fertility rites.

Universal, which owns the title, is remaking "Wicker" with writer/director Neil LaBute ("Nurse Betty"), and will set it in the United States.

Contrary to reports that "Laddie" is a literal remake of "Wicker Man," Hardy said the two pictures are "quite different." His new picture, like "Wicker," will be steeped in Scottish mythology. But the original "Wicker," he said, "is really about Christianity and paganism. This is not. The story is different, and it's got a different cast of characters."

Taylor Hackford to direct "The Raindance" For Paramount

Paramount Pictures is negotiating with Taylor Hackford to direct "The Raindance," a drama that has been better known around town as "The Jailhouse Lawyer Project." Will Rokos, who with Milo Addica was Oscar nominated this year for scripting "Monster's Ball," is being brought aboard to rewrite Doug Richardson's script, with Hackford supervising.

The drama was developed by producers Dylan Sellers and Mark Gordon, and revolves around a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. He tries to redeem himself by earning his law degree and tests his courtroom mettle when he defends another convict in the same prison.

Hackford last helmed "Proof of Life" and his credits include "An Officer and A Gentleman" and "Devil's Advocate."

Both Sellers and Gordon are currently active on other high profile projects, with Sellers producing the MGM film "Agent Cody Banks" with Frankie Muniz and the D.J. Caruso-directed Warner Bros. film "The Expendables." Gordon, along with Scott Free, is producing "Tripoli," the Fox-based historical drama that will be directed by Ridley Scott, with Russell Crowe negotiating to star.

"Bittersweet 16" for Paramount Pictures

Manhattan socialites-turned-scribes Caroline Doyle-Karasyov and Jill Kargman have sold their spec script "Bittersweet 16" to Paramount Pictures for a low-six-figure advance.

The teen comedy focuses on the brutal competition of the absurdly lavish Manhattan private school sweet-16 party circuit. Paramount exec Brad Kessell, who brought the spec into the studio, also tapped the duo to write an original screenplay based on "Every Girl Should Be Married," a 1948 RKO picture that starred Cary Grant.

Doyle-Karasyov and Kargman recently adapted the children's book "Auntie Claus" for Nickelodeon. Their first script, "The Intern," spoofed New York's fashion world. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999.

Disney Co. has paid a mid-six-figure advance to acquire a pitch

The Walt Disney Co. has paid a mid-six-figure advance to acquire the pitch "Midnight Sun" from writer Richard Jefferies.

The Alaska-set project is the story of a remote fishing camp operator who discovers one of his guests is an international fugitive. The locals nab the criminal only to learn the bad guy's private army is coming to extract their boss.

Disney recently greenlit "Cold Creek Manor," to be directed by Mike Figgis, based on Jefferies' pitch, which the studio bought last year. Jefferies will start the screenplay for "Sun" after finishing a light polish with Figgis on "Manor," which includes digital video as a story element.

Europe Needs Weaning Off 'Free Music Mindset'

Europe's music companies need to do more to wean music-lovers away from a "free-music mindset," a UK internet research company said on Thursday.

"The main blight on the industry is "CD burning," where an individual buys a CD and then makes several copies for friends," Mark Mulligan from Jupiter MMXI told Reuters.

"But Europe's legitimate online music market is also being left in the starting blocks by the unchecked growth of illegal file sharing."

Music sales in Europe fell by around one percent over the past year, partly due to the impact of CD-copying and illicit online song-swapping services, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said earlier this week.

The fall is still not as big as North America's, which saw sales decline 4.7 percent to $14.1 billion, but Mulligan said Europe is lagging the U.S., in particular, in facing up to piracy.

"(Europe's) record industry needs to crack down hard and fast on the software companies behind file sharing networks," he said, adding the industry also needed to sort out how it was going to work with legitimate song-swapping sites who charge users for downloads.

"In the United States the record companies are starting to license content, but that's not happening in Europe."

Mulligan said Europe's music companies not only have to work harder to stimulate their own online sales but they also need to offer big incentives -- like better sound quality, virus-free files and artist exclusives -- to get music-fans paying again.