• MGM Traps Steve Irwin For "Crocodile Hunter" Feature
• Colin Farrell targets "Daredevil"
• DreamWorks logs Logan as Lincoln scribe
• Nicolas Cage To Make His Directorial Debut
• Terminator 3 to take a U-turn
• Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell Eye Comedy Pic
• The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe To Be Made Into A Film
• Donnie Yen to join "Hero" cast
• Dealmaker Jerry Levin Redrew Showbiz Landscape
• AOL Time Warner Caught Showbiz Off-Guard
• Tim Palen joins Lions Gate as marketing chief
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  • Monday Dec 03
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  • Wednesday Dec 05

MGM Traps Steve Irwin For "Crocodile Hunter" Feature

MGM has captured Steve Irwin, fearless star of the Animal Planet series "The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files," for his own feature.

"Crocodile Hunter -- Collision Course" has begun shooting in and around the northern Australian city of Brisbane, Daily Variety has learned.

Details of the shoot are being kept tightly under wraps, but the film is said to portray elements of Irwin's unconventional life.

Better known Stateside than at home, Irwin runs Australia Zoo near Brisbane. When he was a child, Irwin's family took over the Queensland Reptile & Fauna Park. There the budding croc hunter fed and cared for the park's reptiles.

Legend has it that by the time Irwin was 9, his dad had taught him to jump into the rivers in North Queensland and catch crocodiles to keep at the park.

The film's cast also includes Irwin's American wife, Terri, Magda Szubanski (the "Babe" pictures), David Wenham ("Moulin Rouge"), Kate Behan ("Chopper") and Steve Bastoni ("He Died With a Felafel in His Hand").

Colin Farrell targets "Daredevil"

Colin Farrell ("Tigerland") has hit the mark with "Daredevil," an actioner based on the Marvel Comics superhero saga.

The Irish-born actor is zeroing in on the role of master marksman Bullseye, the nemesis of blind lawyer and martial artist Daredevil (Ben Affleck).

Budgeted at around $50 million, the 20th Century Fox picture is scheduled to shoot next year with Mark Steven Johnson ("Simon Birch") directing. Comic book legend Stan Lee will serve as an executive producer.

This isn't the first time Farrell has been mentioned in conjunction with the picture -- his name was bandied about as a potential lead before Affleck signed on for the role of Matt Murdock last October.

Farrell, who recently appeared in Warner Bros.' "American Outlaws," has four pictures scheduled to bow next year: MGM's "Hart's War," Disney's "The Farm" and Fox's "Phone Booth" and "Minority Report."

DreamWorks logs Logan as Lincoln scribe

"Gladiator" co-writer John Logan has made a deal to write two high profile DreamWorks projects that likely will be directed by two of the studio's chiefs.

Logan will write a biopic of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln for DreamWorks partner Steven Spielberg to direct, and he also will script an untitled WWII project to be directed by studio production head Walter Parkes.

Spielberg's Lincoln project focuses on how the 16th U.S. president steered the country through the Civil War. Advising on the film will be historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who has been working on a Lincoln biography to be published by Simon & Schuster late next year.

Parkes plans to make his fiction directing debut on the Logan-scripted untitled true story of a team of Allied commandos who fought the Germans on the Greek island of Symi during World War II. Under siege, the commandos sought refuge in a monastery of Eastern Orthodox monks. These unlikely allies help the soldiers overcome long odds in a picture that will be mounted in the spirit of "The Guns of Navarone" and "Bridge on the River Kwai." (Parkes previously co-directed the 1975 documentary "The California Reich.")

Creative Artists Agency booked Logan into the double DreamWorks deal after the scribe's collaboration with David Franzoni on "Gladiator," followed by the Simon Wells-directed DreamWorks/Warner Bros. co-production "The Time Machine" and the currently in-production DreamWorks animated film "Sinbad."

That's just part of the recent Logan run, which also includes scripting "Star Trek 10," in production at Paramount, and "The Last Samurai," the historical epic about the modernization of Japan and the eradication of the samurai, which Ed Zwick is directing for Warner Bros. Logan also scripted the Howard Hughes film Michael Mann plans to direct starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Nicolas Cage To Make His Directorial Debut

Nicolas Cage is ready to make his directorial debut on "Sonny," a John Carlen-scripted drama being produced by Cage and his Saturn Pictures partner Norm Golightly.

The picture shares the dark tones prevalent in "Leaving Las Vegas," the film for which won Cage won his Oscar, and he's looking for a twentysomething guy to star as a male hustler who joined the Army to escape the gigolo life. He's discharged and stops home in New Orleans with the intention of getting a legit job. In his way is his mother, a flesh-peddling matriarch who wants him back in the family business.

Saturn, which produced "Shadow of the Vampire" and the Alan Parker-directed Kevin Spacey starrer "The Life of David Gale," will do the picture only if Cage and Golightly can lock cast and financing for the under-$5 million pic to shoot in January. The actor needs to finish in time to star next year in the Tarsem-directed WB pic "Constantine."

Terminator 3 to take a U-turn

The horse race for domestic rights to "Terminator 3" has changed, with Universal disappearing from the pack and DreamWorks shaping up as a dark horse.

The picture seemed likely just two days ago to take a U-turn, but that studio has opted out, instead deciding it will have a strong enough summer 2003 with its Ang Lee-directed "The Hulk" starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte. DreamWorks, Disney (possibly through Dimension) and Paramount are still battling.

"T3" has come a long way, given that two years ago, C-2's Mario Kassar, Andy Vajna and Joel Michaels hired Tedi Serafian to script "T3" even though Arnold Schwarzenegger indicated at the time he wasn't interested. The C-2 trio is producing "T3" with director Jonathan Mostow's partner Hal Lieberman, and financier Intermedia should close a deal within days.

Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell Eye Comedy Pic

Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell are in final negotiations to join Luke Wilson in the DreamWorks comedy "Old School" for director Todd Phillips and Montecito Pictures. Production begins Jan. 7 in Los Angeles.

The project, written by Phillips and Scot Armstrong, is about three men -- Wilson, Vaughn and Ferrell -- who are dissatisfied with life and attempt to recapture their college days. It's described as being in the same vein as "Animal House."

Phillips also is producing the project with Montecito partners Tom Pollock and Ivan Reitman.

Phillips came aboard the project last year in a deal worth $3 million for his directing, producing and co-writing services. "Old School" is his follow-up feature to "Road Trip," also a DreamWorks and Montecito production.

Ferrell and Vaughn are both repped by UTA and Gold/Miller. Vaughn most recently starred onscreen in Paramount Pictures' "Domestic Disturbance" and Artisan Entertainment's "Made."

Ferrell, in his seventh season on the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live," most recently appeared in Paramount Pictures' "Zoolander" and Dimension Films' "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."

The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe To Be Made Into A Film

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is to be turned into a live action film. The CS Lewis Company has teamed up with New York-based Walden Media for the project.

The book is the second and best-known novel in the seven-part Chronicles Of Narnia series. Originally published in 1950, it tells the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who step through a magic wardrobe into the land Narnia.

Douglas Gresham, stepson of CS Lewis, said: "It has been our dream for many years not simply to make a live-action version of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, but to do so while remaining faithful to the novel."

Cary Granat, co-founder and chief executive officer of Walden Media, said: 'It is one of the best-selling children's novels of all time, full of richly detailed characters faced with choices that all of us, as human beings, must make in our own lives. "We are honoured to partner with The CS Lewis Company to bring Narnia to life."

About the Book: (Buy This Book) The Chronicles of Narnia have enchanted millions of readers over the last fifty years, and the magical events described in C. S. Lewis's immortal prose have left many a lasting memory. For here is a world where a witch decrees eternal winter; where there are more talking animals than people; and where battles are fought by Centaurs, Giants, and Fauns.

Now all seven Chronicles are bound together in this one magnificent volume with a personal introduction by Douglas Gresham, stepson of C. S. Lewis. Pauline Baynes' original and much-loved illustrations have been made even more memorable by the addition of color. This spectacular gift edition will guarantee that C. S. Lewis's timeless world of Narnia will catch the imagination of yet another generation of readers. 

About the Author: Clive Staples Lewis,was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1898. As a child, he was fascinated by the fairy tales, myths, and ancient legends recounted to him by his Irish nurse. The image of a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella in a snowy wood came to him when he was sixteen. Many years later, the faun was joined by an evil queen and a magnificient lion. Their story became The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe. Six further Chronicles of Narnia followed, and the final title, The Last Battle, was awarded the United Kingdom's prestigious Carnegie Award.

Donnie Yen to join "Hero" cast

 Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, enjoying the U.S. exposure of his movie "Iron Monkey", said Wednesday he is heading to China to join the all-star cast of the movie "Hero."

Yen will face off against international film star Jet Li in the movie directed by Zhang Yimou, a two-time Venice film festival winner who directed "Raise the Red Lantern".

The historical epic "Hero" is set in the warring period of Chinese states over two thousand years ago and also stars Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. Expectations are high for the Chinese-language film that has a reported budget of $17 million.

The last time Yen faced off against Jet Li on screen was in Tsui Hark's "Once Upon a Time in China 2" (1992) in a fight scene that drew lavish praise from aficionados of the genre. "I'm thinking after 10 years, Jet wants to beat me up again," Yen told Reuters.

Yen plays an assassin who falls in battle to a band of soldiers led by Li who use their victory to curry favor with the emperor, who is also the target of an assassination plot.

Dealmaker Jerry Levin Redrew Showbiz Landscape

At 62, Jerry Levin walks away from the world's biggest media giant with his personal imprimatur stamped all over it. He has over the years methodically constructed the empire deal by deal and in the process become synonymous with AOL Time Warner in the way that Sumner Redstone is with Viacom and Rupert Murdoch with News Corp.

But it's unthinkable that either of those executives would walk away from their corporate thrones.

Even after Time Warner's January merger with America Online -- and AOL founder Steve Case's taking over as chairman of AOL Time Warner -- Levin emerged as the executive most responsible for the company's strategic direction and decision-making.

But now, it appears he's willing to leave to others the matter of how best to run his vertically integrated entertainment powerhouse.

Some of Levin's friends were at once surprised by the news, yet oddly resigned to it. Levin was gravely affected by the events of Sept. 11, they say, which rekindled the emotions stirred by the murder of his son in 1997. Sensing he was becoming increasingly impatient with the corporate wars, friends say Levin decided to move on.

But while most media barons might seek other corporate adventures or turn to public service, Levin is keenly interested in intellectual pursuits, and takes his writing very seriously. A devoted filmgoer, Levin might even, they suggest, involve himself in a more direct way in film production.

As for his legacy at the company, Levin made one of his biggest marks in buying up and holding on to cable systems.

While others kept saying content was king, Levin placed his bets on the consolidation of pipes to people's homes. With Internet content and video-on-demand programming adding to televised content flowing over cable, Levin contended that in the new-media age his approach eventually would prove a road to corporate riches. Levin also championed and oversaw the growth of cable programmer HBO.

Most importantly, perhaps, was his steering Time Inc. to a 1990 merger with entertaiment giant Warner Communications. And a few years later, Levin orchestrated the takeover of Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting, an acquisition widely perceived as critical in making the previous Time Warner merger work.

The megamerger with AOL was announced in January 2000, but the transaction took a full year to pass regulatory and shareholder muster.

It was speculated a couple of years back that Levin would retire after his son's murder temporarily undermined the executive's usual boundless enthusiasm for the business of big business. But he remained in control and the empire-building continued, with a bid for AT&T's massive cable-systems unit currently in the works.

At Warner Bros., the studio is on track to win the box-office crown for the first time in eight years, largely on the shoulders of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which is on target to become one of the highest-grossing pictures of all time.

Wall Street's enthusiasm -- or lack thereof -- for Levin's strategic moves has caused the company's stock to spike and plummet at various times. Most recently, the stock has been stuck below its 52-week average for several weeks.

On Tuesday, however, investors signaled they were happy enough with the news of Levin's retirement to allow the company to participate in a broader market rally. The stock rose $1.08, or 3%, to close at $35.83; the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 220.45, or 2%, to 10,114.

"He's really one of the giants of the past in this new-media era, so it's kind of a sad moment to see him step down," said Frank Biondi, a partner in investment firm Waterview Partners and a former top executive at Universal Studios and Viacom. "He really has accomplished an enormous amount."

AOL Time Warner Caught Showbiz Off-Guard

AOL Time Warner caught showbiz off-guard Wednesday by announcing that the soft-spoken Richard Parsons had beaten out the flashy Robert Pittman for the top job at the media giant.

Parsons, who is currently co-chief operating officer with Pittman, is scheduled to take over as CEO when Gerald Levin steps down at the company's annual meeting in May.

Pittman, who will report to Parsons, will become the company's sole chief operating officer; America Online founder Steve Case will remain chairman and ubermensch of the company, which was created in January by AOL's $106.2 billion dollar purchase of Time Warner.

Parsons' selection reflects the strength of the content side of the company (i.e., Time Warner), which has been his domain. Pittman held sway over the America Online side of the business, which is having a tougher time of it.

Parsons is a media newcomer, relatively speaking, but has spent the past year learning the specifics of studio business. Parsons, Levin and Pittman have held biweekly meetings with the CEOs of every division, gaining a lot of fans in the process.

Though many expressed a sense of loss at Levin's exit, Parsons is expected to carry on business as usual. He adheres to Levin's goal of doubling the size of AOL Time Warner every few years. Parsons' approach is also in sync with Case's, who has emphasized the importance of integrating the company's myriad divisions.

In handing Levin's keys to the kingdom over to Parsons, the company is tapping the exec who's been mostly responsible for day-to-day oversight of former Time Warner businesses, complementing Pittman's oversight at AOL and other subscription-driven operations.

It may be notable that Wall Street is currently forecasting sluggish growth prospects for online subs, with most of America already online. Pittman may also have suffered internally for the company's failing to meet original cash-flow projections for 2001.

Rightly or not, Pittman has been perceived as the architect of AOL Time Warner's cost-cutting moves of the past year, and he is similarly blamed -- along with Levin -- for a langushing stock price that forms the basis for exec bonus plans.

Warner Bros. chairman-CEO Barry Meyer called Parsons "the right person to run the company. He helps you get things done. He's never an obstacle, he's an enabler -- and that's a great feeling."

Other top brass at AOL Time Warner expressed faith that Parsons can hold his own. And the transition may well be smooth for other studio execs as well.

As one Warners exec put it, "it should be a little easier -- now there's one CEO and one chief operating officer. You know it's going to be a continuation."

Wall Street media analyst Jessica Reif Cohen agreed that AOL Time Warner has a deep bench of executive talent to draw on. But she, like many others, was surprised by Levin's exit.

"I wouldn't have expected it for at least three more years," she said. "My opinion is that it's a very big loss for the company and for the industry. He's seen AOL Time Warner through an awful lot, and it's still definitely in transition."

Parsons and Pittman have strikingly different management styles, which also may explain the choice of Parsons.

Parsons, 53, is described as a quintessential people person, a consensus builder who should be adept at maintaining equilibrium among the various factions within the conglomerate. He is also an exec with an eclectic background that includes banking and politics, who only recently came to media.

Pittman, 47, is hands-on and sometimes abrasive, but he is also a dashing figure who helped start MTV, grew AOL into a marketing powerhouse and is never far from the media limelight.

Case himself does not exhibit interest in the day-to-day aspects of the business. He lives in Maryland and makes rare appearances in the AOL TW power centers of Gotham and L.A., and spends little face time with the top execs. Still, he is a hands-on exec, and a smart and tough negotiator.

Last month AOL TW showed the world how corporate synergy works: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opened to record-breaking box office -- having managed to tie in the AOL TW film, magazine, book and merchandising arms, with each branch feeding the others.

Similarly, AOL subscribers were led to various "Harry" franchise links: Moviefone, which AOL owns, fiercely promoted the picture; Time, People and Sports Illustrated featured numerous "Potter" ads and stories; Warner Cable systems touted the film; and Warner Music Group produced and distributed the soundtrack.

Brooklyn-born Parsons, 53, arrives at his post with a professional background as diverse as AOL Time Warner's businesses. He started as an assistant counsel to the governor of New York, and worked for the White House Counsel's office. He later rose through the ranks at Dime Savings Bank to become chief exec in the '80s.

In a move that raised eyebrows in media circles, Levin asked Parsons to quit the banking business to assume the presidency of Time Warner, and later to become co-chief operating officer of AOL Time Warner.

Parsons hasn't let his ties to Washington wither since he turned to the Hollywood corporate world. He is widely regarded as AOL TW's point-man with the federal government, keeping relations cordial with the feds -- especially as the company's rapid expansion causes it to tread on the toes of various competition authorities.

Earlier this year, the exec was tapped by President Bush as co-chairman of a special commission set up to pursue Social Security reform. Parsons was even on the shortlist for a time to become the U.S. Trade Representative in the Bush cabinet, but that didn't materialize.

Tim Palen joins Lions Gate as marketing chief

Tim Palen has joined Lions Gate Films as vice president, theatrical marketing, spearheading the marketing of all Lions Gate feature film marketing operations. He will report to Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Film Releasing.

Palen comes to Lions Gate from the now defunct Destination Films where he was vice president, creative advertising, working on films such as Drowning Mona, Eye Of The Beholder and Thomas And The Magic Railroad.

Before that, he was executive director, creative advertising, for Columbia TriStar Home Video, where he was responsible for print, A/V and internet advertising for the studio's home video releases.

Palen will work closely with Lions Gate's vice president of publicity Jennifer Morgerman on the 2002 slate which includes Bill Paxton's directorial debut Frailty, Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow, Roger Avary's The Rules Of Attraction and Tim Blake Nelson's The Grey Zone.

Lions Gate's upcoming awards hopes are Monster's Ball directed by Marc Forster and Lantana directed by Ray Lawrence.