• "Mighty Atom" lands at Universal
• "Furious" sequel revved up at Universal
• Bad Girl James King in Bulletproof Monk
• Steve Martin to star in film of his own book
• Law And Wahlberg To Star As Love Rivals In Movie Remake
• Cate Blanchett Tipped For Film About Murdered Journalist
• Kate & Leopold Will Open On Christmas Day.
• Studio trio join billion-dollar club overseas
• Vivendi pens first page of synergy saga
• AFI announces first annual award nominations
• Previous
• Monday Dec 17

"Mighty Atom" lands at Universal

 Universal Pictures will turn the unlikely story of pint-sized circus strongman Joseph Greenstein into a feature.

"The Mighty Atom" will be drawn from the Ed Spielman book "The Spiritual Journey of Joseph L. Greenstein."

Greenstein, an asthmatic child in turn-of-the-century Poland, joined a traveling circus when he was 14, studied wrestling and martial arts, and transformed himself into the 5-foot-4-inch sideshow star the Mighty Atom. He came to America in 1911 and became an unlikely battler against racism and intolerance, promoting peace through his strongman act and scrapping with the Ku Klux Klan and the German-American Bund.

"He was this little big man with tremendous will and mental control, and this can be a sprawling story that is 'Forrest Gump' meets 'Jackass,"' said Ed Saxon, a partner in New York-based producer Magnet Entertainment, which optioned the book.  The script will be written by Howard A. Rodman ("Joe Gould's Secret").

"Furious" sequel revved up at Universal

Fasten your seatbelts: The sequel to "The Fast and the Furious" has kicked into overdrive.

Universal Pictures and producer Neal Moritz have hired Michael Brandt and Derek Haas to write "The Fast and the Furious 2." The studio had already hired Gary Scott Thompson, one of the writers of the original picture, to develop his own version of the sequel.

Studio sources said it's not clear which version will prevail; the producers may opt for a collaboration. While both scenarios are set, like the original picture, in the world of competitive street racing, few details were available about either script.

A high-velocity, down-and-dirty action picture, which cost $38 million and grossed $145 million in North America this year, the original "Fast" was a rare example of a cheap summer tentpole with great franchise potential.

Haas and Brandt sold a spec, "The Courier," to Intermedia Films; did a rewrite on "The Watchmen" for Franchise Pictures; and wrote "Invincible," a recent TBS pilot executive produced by Mel Gibson and Jet Li.

Bad Girl James King in Bulletproof Monk

James King has nabbed a leading role opposite Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William Scott in the Paul Hunter-directed "Bulletproof Monk" for MGM. Shooting is scheduled to start early next year.

The story, written by Cy Voris and Ethan Reiff and based on the cult comic of the same name, centers on a mysterious monk with no name who has zig-zagged the globe for 60 years to protect an ancient scroll that holds the key to unlimited power.

The monk must find a new scroll keeper and chooses Kar (Scott), a streetwise young man whose only interest is himself. King will play a sexy Russian mob princess called Bad Girl who joins the monk and Kar to fight the ultimate enemy and protect the scroll.

Charles Roven is producing with Lion Rock Prods.' Terence Chang and John Woo and executive producers Michael Yanover, Gotham Chopra, Caroline Macauley, Doug Segal and Kelly Smith-Waite.

Since transitioning from the runway to the big screen, model-turned-actress King has built a quick list of credits, including roles in New Line Cinema's "Blow" and Buena Vista's "Pearl Harbor."

Next year, she stars in back-to-back features from Sony's Screen Gems: "Lone Star State of Mind," opposite Joshua Jackson, and the comedy "Slackers," opposite Devon Sawa and Jason Schwartzman. King is repped by ICM, New York-based Flutie Entertainment and attorney Bob Myman.

Steve Martin to star in film of his own book

Steve Martin is to star in the movie based on his short novel, Shopgirl.

The comic also wrote the screenplay. Production house Lakeshore Entertainment is now looking for a director to join the project.

In the movie Martin will play rich, divorced Ray Porter, who wows a shop assistant who is bored with her job in a department store. It is the second recent deal for a film written by Martin.

His play Picasso At The Lapin Agile is also being turned into a feature film, to be directed by Roxanne director Fred Schepisi.

Book Description (Buy This Book):With more than 340,000 copies in print, Steve Martin's Shopgirl has landed on bestseller lists nationwide including: New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times.

Filled with the kind of witty, discerning observations that have brought Steve Martin incredible critical success, this story of modern day love and romance is a work of disarming tenderness.

About the Author : Steve Martin is one of today's most talented performers. He has had huge success as a film actor, with such credits as Roxanne, Father of the Bride, Parenthood, The Spanish Prisoner, L.A. Story, and the recent Bowfinger, for which he also wrote the screenplay. He's won Emmys for his television writing and two Grammys for comedy albums. In addition to his bestselling collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel, he has also written a play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile. His work appears frequently in the New Yorker and the New York Times. He lives in Los Angeles.

Law And Wahlberg To Star As Love Rivals In Movie Remake

Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg are set to co-star in a remake of sexual drama Forbidden Relations.

It focuses on a remote farming community in the '70s where a young widow finds solace in the arms of a mysterious stranger. She later discovers the charismatic drifter is her half brother.

Despite a spell in prison and being ostracised by the community, they set up home together. Ashley Judd is being tipped to play the widow, with Law taking the role of local sheriff and Wahlberg's love rival.

The story is based on a Hungarian adventure of the same name which was released in 1983. The film is due to go into production in Dakota next summer.

Cate Blanchett Tipped For Film About Murdered Journalist

Cate Blanchett is being tipped to star with Billy Bob Thornton in a film about murdered Irish journalist Veronica Guerin. Joel Schumacher will direct the film, called Chasing The Dragon.

The film is due to be made next autumn with producer Jerry Bruckheimer masterminding the project on location in Ireland.

Thornton is the favourite to play the mobster who puts a contract out on Guerin's life. Jim Broadbent is pencilled in to play the senior policeman on his trail.

Kate & Leopold Will Open On Christmas Day.

Miramax Films is postponing the Meg Ryan romantic comedy "Kate & Leopold" by four days to Christmas Day.

The studio said the tracking for New Line Cinema's Dec. 19 release "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is so strong, and also noted that "Kate's" primary audience -- women -- is doing holiday shopping late this year, according to economic prognosticators.

"We decided to give our 'Kate & Leopold' ad campaign more of a chance to build," said Rick Sands, president of Miramax's worldwide distribution.

When the picture opens Christmas Day, in roughly 2,500 theaters nationwide, it will compete with fellow rookies "Ali" and Miramax's own "The Shipping News." The James Mangold-directed film, in which Ryan co-stars with Hugh Jackman, premiered in New York on Dec. 16 and L.A. on Dec. 11.

Separately, Miramax bumped sci-fi pic "Impostor," starring Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe, from Christmas to Jan. 4.

Studio trio join billion-dollar club overseas

Disney's Buena Vista Intl. (BVI) confirmed Monday it has joined Warner Bros. and Universal in crossing the $1 billion mark at the overseas box office this year. It's the first time since 1999 that three studios have reached the milestone.

The news isn't all rosy, though. Sony, Paramount and Fox/MGM are all coming in well below their 2000 results, and the majors are seeing ever-stiffer competition from local pictures.

BVI, Disney's marketing and distribution unit, has passed $1 billion in each of the past seven years, winning the annual market-share race five times in that span. This year, however, Warners is likely to win thanks to "Harry Potter," which already has $313 million overseas and could rival No. 2 foreign grosser of all time, "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," at $925.6 million.

Apart from the boy wizard, WB Intl. has been buoyed by three titles that each surpassed $100 million this year: "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Cats & Dogs" and "Miss Congeniality."

"We're very happy that this is Warner Bros.' biggest year overseas, beating our previous record of $1.1 billion in 1993," Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, president of international theatrical distribution, told Daily Variety.

BVI expects a fast finish from "Monsters, Inc.," which debuts this month in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Australia; "The Princess Diaries" in a few markets, including the U.K. and Germany; and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." BVI president Mark Zoradi predicts his division will wind the year at close to $1.1 billion.

Its overall 2001 results were generated by 43 pictures, two of which passed $100 million. The war epic "Pearl Harbor" was its top performer, earning $251.5 million, third-best in BVI history after "Armageddon" and "Pretty Woman."

The No. 2 performance came from M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" $114.9 million in 2001 (total $154.5 million including receipts generated in 2000).

Universal is counting on "American Pie 2" premieres in Latin America and the comedy's lusty holdover biz in Oz and Spain.

Yet all majors have had to compete with the rocketing popularity of indigenous films. Opinions differ about the impact of national hits on Hollywood's market share.

"We're seeing local films take a higher percentage of the box office in many countries," said Mark Zucker, senior executive VP at Sony's Columbia TriStar Intl. "That's why Sony has started producing locally in Spain this year, and we've produced five Chinese films from our Hong Kong operation."

For years the U.S. majors have been socked by spiraling media costs in many territories. But the general softening in advertising markets and flagging economies has taken the sting out of that expense.

"We've been able to keep distribution costs in check this year," said Buena Vista's Zoradi, noting that ad rates have been flat or have risen only slightly and that local campaign spends are cheaper in view of the strong greenback.

Vivendi pens first page of synergy saga

Vivendi Universal chairman Jean-Marie Messier and his USA Networks counterpart Barry Diller were all smiles Monday as they spoke loftily of synergies and benefits from their $10.3 billion plan to bring most entertainment assets of USA -- and Diller himself -- into the Vivendi fold.

But aside from Diller's new role running the French conglomerate's expanded mix of businesses, some industry insiders viewed the much-anticipated agreement as simply restoring the status quo at Universal Studios.

It essentially reverses a complicated 1997 deal in which then-Universal boss Edgar Bronfman Jr. sold most of the studio's TV assets to Diller. (Bronfman subsequently merged Universal's Seagram Co. parent with Vivendi to form Vivendi Universal.)

"For them to get all wet and teary about this deal is ridiculous," one media vet observed. "Barry really took Edgar downtown, and now they're just getting that stuff back."

Messier stressed repeatedly at the news conference that the structure of Monday's pact was consistent with the 1997 deal. That deal, however, valued the USA stake at just over $4 billion.

"We are fully taking the advantage back of the initial transaction originated by Edgar Bronfman," Messier said. "To have a step two, you need to have a step one."

Now, though the cash involved is the same as in the first transaction, most observers figure Vivendi Universal is paying at least a $2 billion premium due to changes in USA share prices since 1997. But the math is slippery, and Messier asserted the original transaction and the new agreement represent roughly a wash in costs to his company.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the announced agreement is what it portends of possible further transactions. USA execs are vocal about wanting to use proceeds from the deal to fuel important new acquisitions by USA Interactive -- with Amazon.com floated as the sexiest possible takeover target among several high-profile possibilities. (USA Interactive, the successor to USA Networks, will house such businesses as Ticketmaster and Home Shopping Network.)

Even more attention-getting is their floated openness to considering an eventual merger of USA Interactive and Vivendi Universal. Adding fuel to that fire is a corollary to Monday's pact that gives Vivendi Universal warrants to buy more than 60 million USAi shares over the next 10 years.

"So, you'd be creating something like another AOL Time Warner," one USA executive suggested.

"I would assume that they would want to consolidate it all at some point," said John Miller, managing director of JPMorgan Securities. The investment bank is particularly active in Hollywood mergers and acquisitions.

But like many observers, Miller was mostly focused on the short-term ramifications of the deal for now.

"We think Barry's one of the best media executives there is," Miller said. "So for Vivendi to bring him into their management fold is a real coup. The only shocking thing is I thought Barry would never ever go back to work for another corporation again."

And there's the rub: How will his return to an executive hierarchy with someone else on top work out? Also, there's the question of how well Universal Studios president Ron Meyer and Universal Pictures boss Stacey Snider -- despite agreeing to long-term renewals -- will work under the irascible Diller. The two film execs have thrived in the past year, unleashing such blockbusters as "The Mummy 2" and "The Fast and the Furious."

"Snider and Meyer have done a terrific job of getting that studio back on track, and I hope this isn't disruptive to them," mused one industry insider with regular dealings on the Universal lot. "Barry has a reputation for being extremely difficult."

But Diller, who has no employment contract and won't be drawing any salary, insisted at the conference that, despite the new layer of management in Vivendi Universal's entertainment business, he had no plans to tamper with what is clearly working.

"I'm a complete supporter of what they have done," Diller said of Meyer and Snider at the conference. "I can't imagine that there will be any disruption of any kind."

Perhaps no one in Hollywood is better positioned to comment on Diller's management style than Disney chairman-CEO Michael Eisner, who worked for Diller at Paramount in the 1970s.

"I think Messier is a genius to get Barry back full time; it's a stroke of brilliance," Eisner enthused. "The creation of intellectual product seems to be simple, but as people find out over and over again, it's actually extremely difficult. For them to get an executive -- who also picks executives well -- to be responsible for the creation of product is unusual and fabulous."

He added that "whatever rough edges people are trying to identify in Diller, I haven't seen them in two decades."

Asked if Diller displayed any such rough edges at Paramount, Eisner quipped, "No rougher than mine."

Meanwhile, there are also those who question whether the idea of a Vivendi/USA Interactive merger represents anything more than exec spitballing.

"From Barry's perspective USA Interactive is his wealth-creating vehicle," said one industry veteran, adding that Vivendi Universal should be prepared to pay dearly for any eventual combo with the digital group.

Entertainment veteran Frank Biondi, a partner at the Waterview Partners media fund these days, exited as Universal Studios CEO in 1998 in a falling out with Bronfman many have tied to Biondi's opposition to the TV selloff.

"Even back in '98, we thought these assets were an integral part of Universal and belonged there," Biondi acknowledged. "So it's nice to see them back."

In fact, Biondi lobbied for getting back into the TV biz only months after Bronfman's selloff with a proposal to take over management and production powerhouse Brillstein-Grey Communications. Instead, Biondi was ousted.

Diller, who also led the Fox studio for a stretch before striking out on his own to found what eventually evolved into USA Networks, will be CEO of the newly formed Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE). He will have ultimate oversight of Vivendi Universal's newly expanded film, TV and recreation divisions. He will hold the same title at USA Interactive.

Meyer will serve as Diller's second-in-command at VUE. In turn, Meyer will supervise Snider, Universal Recreation Group president Tom Williams and Michael Jackson -- the ex-Channel Four executive whom Diller installed to run USA's entertainment properties just weeks before the Vivendi deal heated up. Doug Morris, who runs the highly successful Universal music arm, will continue to report directly to Messier.

The bulk of the financing for the deal will come from Vivendi Universal's 43% stake in USA Networks -- worth roughly $7 billion -- which will revert to USA. Vivendi Universal will also hand over roughly $1.6 billion in cash, raised partly through the recent sale of some of its interest in British satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

At the end of the day, Vivendi Universal will hold a 93.5% interest in the VUE division, while USA Interactive will own 5.5% and Diller 1.5%.

Vivendi Universal has also struck a deal with media mogul John Malone to buy out the 21% USA Networks stake held by the exec's Liberty Media Group in a deal that nets Malone 20% of USA Interactive, plus $1.6 billion in Vivendi Universal treasury shares -- equivalent to a 3.6% share of the equity.

Lee Masters, president of Malone's Liberty Digital unit, said Malone's desire to extend his stake to the new Vivendi USA is consistent with his investment strategy over the years.

"Historically," Masters said, "Malone invests in programming assets and then parleys them up for more valuable stakes in bigger entities."

What makes the Vivendi strategy even more enticing for Malone is that Diller has agreed to stay on to run the combined company, Masters said.

"Malone has the greatest respect for Barry, whose participation only reinforces Malone's investment strategy," he added.

The shares of both companies surged in Monday's trading: Vivendi Universal moved ahead 6.4% to $52, while USA Networks stock gained 5% to $25.

AFI announces first annual award nominations

The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced its nominations for the first annual AFI Awards 2001.which will be presented on Jan 5, 2002, in Los Angeles. Two 13-member committees - one representing films and one representing TV - made the nominations; a 100-person AFI jury will select the award-winners.

The film nominations are as follows:

AFI Movie of the Year
A Beautiful Mind, Black Hawk Down, In The Bedroom, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Memento, Monster’s Ball, Moulin Rouge, Mulholland Drive, Shrek

AFI Actor of the Year
Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind
Billy Bob Thornton in The Man Who Wasn’t There
Denzel Washington in Training Day
Tom Wilkinson in In The Bedroom

AFI Actress of the Year
Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Stockard Channing in The Business Of Strangers
Sissy Spacek in In The Bedroom
Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive

AFI Featured Actor of the Year
Steve Buscemi in Ghost World
Brian Cox in LIE
Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums
Tony Shalhoub in The Man Who Wasn’t There

AFI Featured Actress of the Year
Cate Blanchett in Bandits
Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind
Cameron Diaz in Vanilla Sky
Frances O’Connor in AI Artificial Intelligence

AFI Director of the Year
Robert Altman, Gosford Park
Todd Field, In The Bedroom
David Lynch, Mulholland Drive
Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down

AFI Screenwriter of the Year
Rob Festinger & Todd Field, In The Bedroom
Christopher Nolan, Memento
Akiva Goldsman, A Beautiful Mind
Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff, Ghost World

AFI Cinematographer of the Year
Ericson Core, The Fast And The Furious
Roger Deakins, The Man Who Wasn’t There
Slawomir Idziak, Black Hawk Down
Janusz Kaminski, AI Artificial Intelligence

AFI Editor of the Year
Jill Bilcock, Moulin Rouge
Dody Dorn, Memento
Pietro Scalia, Black Hawk Down
Tim Squyres, Gosford Park

AFI Production Designer of the Year
Stephen Altman, Gosford Park
Rick Carter, AI Artificial Intelligence
Grant Major, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
Arthur Max, Black Hawk Down

AFI Digital Artist of the Year
Robert Legato, Nick Davis & Roger Guyett, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone
Jim Rygiel, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
Scott Farrar & Dennis Muren, AI Artificial Intelligence
Bob Sabiston, Waking Life

AFI Composer of the Year
Craig Armstrong, Moulin Rouge
Angelo Badalamenti, Mulholland Drive
Patrick Doyle, Gosford Park
Howard Shore, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring