• Michael Mann revs up Ferrari biopic
• Clarke's 'End' is Kimberly Peirce's next odyssey at Uni
• Foursome in eXtreme dating
• Miramax provides "Proof"
• Paramount, Till Human Voices Wake Us
• Warners' 'Cats'; live-action/CGI sequel
• WB, TBS Poised To Make Its First Megabucks Film Acquisition
• Call it "The Movie Formerly Known As Goldmember."
• Filmmakers Beware: There's A New Set Of Critics Out There
• Pam Anderson to swap TV role for stripper pole
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  • Monday Jan 28
  • Tuesday Jan 29
  • Wednesday Jan 30
  • Thursday Jan 31

Michael Mann revs up Ferrari biopic

Gentlemen, start your engines: "Ali" director Michael Mann plans to produce a biopic on automotive mogul Enzo Ferrari, whose family redefined the concept of the high-powered Italian sports car and almost single-handedly created Formula One racing.

The project, inspired by Brock Yates' 1991 book "Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Race, the Machine," has spent a decade in development. As far back as 1993, Mann intended to direct the film with Robert De Niro in the lead. He now plans only to produce the film, however, in partnership with Disney-backed Spyglass Entertainment and Mirage Enterprises, the shingle of Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella. David Rayfiel ("Sabrina") is penning the latest draft.

Ferrari's ambition to build and race the world's finest cars is an epic tale shaped by the forces of two world wars, the rise of fascism, family tragedies and a single-minded determination that pushed him to work seven days a week but left little room for personal relationships.

A longtime fan of auto racing, Mirage's Pollack also directed and produced the 1977 picture "Bobby Deerfield," the story of an American racer on the European circuit that starred Al Pacino.

Clarke's 'End' is Kimberly Peirce's next odyssey at Uni

Kimberly Peirce, who co-wrote and directed the critically acclaimed feature "Boys Don't Cry," is in final negotiations to direct a big-screen adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction novel "Childhood's End" for Universal Pictures/Beacon Pictures.

A screenwriter is expected to come aboard shortly to adapt the project.

Published in 1987, Clarke's novel features giant spaceships that suddenly appear over every major city on Earth. The arrival of the mysterious aliens, known as the Overlords, ushers in a half-decade of unprecedented peace and prosperity during which poverty, disease and prejudice are nearly eliminated. Not all is what it seems, though, as this "golden era" is the precursor to a new evolution for mankind, bringing about the end of the human race as we know it.

Beacon's Armyan Bernstein and Rudy Langlais are producing the project, whose book rights are owned by the studio.

"This is one of the greatest sci-fi stories ever written," Bernstein told the media. "What's so exciting is combining the book with the brilliant talent of Kimberly Peirce."

Universal Pictures production president Scott Stuber and senior vp production Donna Langley will supervise the project for the studio, with Beacon senior vp production and development Suzann Ellis overseeing on behalf of her company.

Peirce is repped by UTA. She is co-writing with Andy Bienen an untitled project for New Line Cinema that is likely to be her next directorial outing.

Clarke is considered one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, having shared a screenplay Oscar win with Stanley Kubrick for "2001: A Space Odyssey." The film was based on Clarke's story "The Sentinel." Clarke's novel "2010" was brought to the big screen in 1984 with Peter Hyams directing.

Beacon next produces the Universal feature "The Palace Thief" and the Walt Disney Co.'s "Tuck Everlasting."

Foursome in eXtreme dating

Devon Sawa, Amanda Detmer, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Andrew Keegan will star in the indie comedy "eXtreme dating" for Filmstar Prods. and director Lorena David ("Eastside"). Shooting starts Monday.

In the ensemble project, Sawa and Keegan will star as two friends who set up a false kidnapping so that Keegan can get his girl. When their hired "kidnappers" deviate from the plan, the situation escalates out of control. Detmer plays a young advertising executive looking for true love who, along with her friends, gets caught up in the extreme dating disaster. Sigler will play the object of Keegan's affection and the victim of the "date" gone terribly wrong.

Newcomer Ian Virgo ("Black Hawk Down") rounds out the cast, playing one of Sawa and Detmer's co-workers.

Jeff Schectman penned the script. "eXtreme" will be produced by Mark Roberts with executive producers Larry Crowder and John Powell of Filmstar. The producers credit casting director Joseph Middleton ("Legally Blonde") with helping them get the project packaged.

"Joseph is the best in the business," Roberts said. "If you've seen any of his films, you know he puts his heart and soul into creating casting chemistry. We are thrilled to be working with him."

Sawa is repped by the Gersh Agency and manager Lauren Lloyd of Lloyd Entertainment. Detmer is repped by Abrams Artists and Catch 23 Management's John Carrabino. Sigler is repped by Writers & Artists Agency and NUAJ Entertainment's AJ Discala. Keegan is repped by UTA. Virgo is repped by ICM and manager Paul Telford.

Miramax provides "Proof"

Miramax Films will finance and distribute "Proof," a film adaptation of David Auburn's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

"Proof," playing on Broadway with Jennifer Jason Leigh in the role that Mary-Louise Parker originated, is a drama about the daughter of a recently deceased mathematician who must deal with the legacies of brilliance and madness her father left her. Unraveling as a mystery about the origins of a mathematical proof, it becomes a broader exploration into questions of family, love and genius.

Last year, Hart Sharp Prods. the banner behind "Boys Don't Cry" and "You Can Count on Me," optioned the film rights. It will now produce the picture in partnership with Miramax, which will own the rights. Auburn penned the screenplay.

Paramount, Till Human Voices Wake Us

Paramount Classics has acquired North American rights to Michael Petroni's "Till Human Voices Wake Us," a supernatural romance starring Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham Carter.

Pearce, currently in theaters with "The Count of Monte Cristo," plays a psychologist who encounters a mysterious young woman (Bonham Carter), evoking memories of a long-lost love.

Written and directed by Petroni, "Till Human Voices Wake Us" is a U.S.-Australian co-production. In addition to North America, Paramount Classics also acquired rights for the U.K., South Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Warners' 'Cats'; live-action/CGI sequel

On the heels of its surprise summer hit feature "Cats & Dogs," Warner Bros. is moving forward on a live-action/CGI sequel and has hired helmer Kevin Lima ("102 Dalmatians") to direct it.

Bruce Berman's Village Roadshow Pictures and Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance Prods. will return to produce.

"Cats & Dogs 2" is being written by the film's original writers, John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, and will continue the wars between canines and felines. Many of the original film's characters are expected back.

Executive vp production Jeff Robinov is overseeing the project for Warner Bros.

The original film, budgeted at about $60 million, was released July 4 and grossed $93.4 million domestically, making it the studio's third highest-grossing film of 2001 following "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Ocean's Eleven." Lawrence Guterman directed the original feature, which stars Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins and a slew of cats and dogs.

Lima, repped by Endeavor, co-directed the Walt Disney Co.'s animated features "Tarzan" and directed the studio's "A Goofy Movie."

WB, TBS Poised To Make Its First Megabucks Film Acquisition

It's no fantasy: The WB Network is poised to make its first megabucks film acquisition in tandem with its Turner Broadcasting cable sibling through a pending deal with New Line Cinema for the studio's three "The Lord of the Rings" features. The long-term pact is valued at more than $160 million.

The WB will share the rights to the films with its sister cable channels, TNT and TBS, making the deal an exercise in corporate synergy among the AOL Time Warner-owned WB, Turner Broadcasting and New Line. It's still unclear whether WB or Turner will get first crack at the films, and it's understood that there was considerable jockeying for that position between the WB and Turner cable camps, both of which are overseen by TBS chairman/WB founder Jamie Kellner.

The combined WB-Turner license fee for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" alone is about $60 million, while the price tag on the second and third movie will depend on their boxoffice tally. After nearly six weeks in release, "Fellowship" has raked in more than $258 million domestically.

The length of the licensing term on each film is 10 years. Turner and the WB will acquire the rights to the films in fourth-quarter 2004, '05 and '06, successively, following the movies' pay TV window on Starz! Encore.

The "Rings" deal marks the biggest TV sale for New Line, which has had success with other movie franchises, including "Austin Powers" and "Rush Hour." In terms of gross dollars, it is believed to be the single highest commitment ever made by TV outlets for theatrical acquisitions outside of an output or multiple-title package deal.

However, ABC still holds the record for highest theatrical acquisition license fee ever paid through its recent 10-year $130 million deal for another AOL TW fantasy blockbuster franchise, Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter" movies. That deal encompassed two films, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and the upcoming sequel, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." ABC, which will share the movies with the Disney Channel and ABC Family cable channels, shelled out about $70 million for the first installment alone.

There was interest in "Rings" from other networks, including Fox Broadcasting Co., but negotiations were complicated by the fact that Turner owned the rights to the first installment of "Rings" as part of an output deal the company signed with New Line in the summer. Ultimately, New Line, Turner, the WB and New Line decided to negotiate a separate deal on the three "Rings" movies.

The $60 million price tag for "Fellowship" is in line with the fee that ABC and Disney Channel paid last year for a 10-year deal on Universal's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Fox paid $80 million each for a 10-year exclusive deal on "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" and a 12-year deal on Universal's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," in both cases buying out the movies' pay TV window valued at about $15 million.

This is the first time Turner Broadcasting and the WB have signed a shared-window deal on theatrical movies and the three "Rings" movies will be the first theatricals to get a broadcast TV premiere on the WB. The WB and UPN have normally run films in their second or third TV cycles. The acquisition also supports speculations that the WB's "Flix From the Frog" franchise might be turned into a regular feature. The WB aired the movie night in the summer and will bring it back during the Winter Olympics next month.

Call it "The Movie Formerly Known As Goldmember."

The Motion Picture Assn. of America (MPAA) on Thursday denied New Line Cinema's appeal of an earlier decision blocking use of the title "Austin Powers in Goldmember" for the third installment of the studio's lucrative Austin Powers franchise.

New Line then rejected an 11th-hour deal from MGM and its United Artists unit, which filed to block the title spoof on their James Bond franchise.

Sources close to the situation said MGM and UA would have softened their stance if New Line had agreed to move the upcoming Denzel Washington picture "John Q" off its Feb. 15 release date, leaving the weekend virtually clear for MGM's Bruce Willis drama "Hart's War." New Line declined.

A statement released by an MGM spokesman said, "We are gratified that the title issue has been resolved in our favor and we intend to vigorously protect our other intellectual property rights in this matter."

MGM and UA have always had issues with Mr. Powers, a snaggletoothed British spy whose pictures tweak the venerable James Bond franchise. In 1999, MGM and UA petitioned the MPAA over the use of "The Spy Who Shagged Me," but New Line responded in accordance with MPAA guidelines and won the right to use the title.

Now that the MPAA has ruled against New Line, MGM and UA could view the victory as an opportunity to seek out and protest any content they find objectionable in the film itself.

The "Goldmember" drama began Jan. 24 after the MPAA ruled the title "inadmissible." That edict came when New Line failed to follow proper procedures after MGM and UA petitioned the MPAA to ban the title, which parodies that of the 1964 Bond film "Goldfinger."

While New Line still has legal recourse over "Goldmember," it is hardly practical: Given the time required to move through the court system, a victory would be Pyrrhic.

"The appeal process has come to a close, and though New Line is disappointed by the MPAA's decision, we will abide by it," New Line said in a statement. "We remain committed to our filmmaker's vision and are moving forward."

It's unknown what MGM and UA's hardline stance may do to their ability to woo the creator and star of "Austin Powers," Mike Myers, to don the overcoat of Chief Inspector Clouseau. UA has long hoped to revive its Pink Panther franchise, with Myers filling Peter Sellers' gumshoes.

The third installment in the Austin Powers franchise is slated for release July 26. It features Myers in four roles, including that of the villain Goldmember.

Filmmakers Beware: There's A New Set Of Critics Out There

Filmmakers beware: There's a new set of critics out there, sitting at home picking movies apart frame by frame, and then sharing the blunders with thousands of other nitpickers.

Not only have high quality at-home toys like DVD players made it easier to watch scenes from a movie over and over — slowing them down, freezing them and finding all the mistakes — but that very activity has also spawned an Internet rage, with film buffs e-mailing their little hearts out.

Wrong Time Span

Gladiator earned five Academy Awards in 2000, but if there was an Oscar category for flubs, the mega-hit may have been a contender for that as well.

According to film flub expert Bill Givens and the people who visit his Web site devoted to movie mistakes, Gladiator has more than 100 glitches. One of Givens' favorites is a chariot racing scene, where viewers get a glimpse of an attachment that couldn't possibly have existed in ancient Roman times.

"The chariot flips over and you can see this gas cartridge underneath the chariot that was used to flip it," said Givens, who has written five books about mistakes in movies.

Anachronisms like that, when something doesn't belong in the time period, are a common error, says Givens. For example, even though Titanic pocketed 12 Oscars, not everything about the blockbuster was exactly ship-shape.

In one scene, Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, warns Rose, played by Kate Winslet, that if she were to jump off the ship, the water below would be awfully cold. He would know, he said, from his ice-fishing days in Wisconsin on Lake Wisota. Interesting, because the Titanic sank in 1912, and Lake Wisota, a man-made lake, was built in 1917!

Errors in Continuity

Another typical type of mistake deals with continuity, when from one scene to the next, things are not consistent or the flow of the story is interrupted. In one Titanic scene, for example, Kate Winslett has bangs on her forehead, then in the next frame, her hair is combed back, and then it's back to bangs.

In Saving Private Ryan , the platoon is made up of eight soldiers. Fairly early in the film, one of them gets killed, which would leave seven soldiers. But minutes later, the platoon is shown walking across the field — all eight of them.

Asked how mistakes like these can happen — especially because a script supervisor is usually hired to monitor continuity — Givens said simply that human beings make mistakes.

"I think what happens is when the movie comes out, they spot the flub, and there's nothing they can do about it." In some cases, said Givens, errors are spotted in the editing process, at which point it is too late to reshoot. "The sets are torn down and the actors have gone on to other things and they just sort of just, kind of grin and bear it and hope no one sees it."

Sometimes these mistakes occur, said Givens, when a film gets shortened and dialogue is removed. In Pretty Woman , Julia Roberts starts her breakfast with Richard Gere by munching on a croissant. But moments later, the croissant has become a pancake!

Apparently, said Givens, some dialogue where Roberts changes her order from a croissant to a pancake was removed in order to shorten the film. "I asked Garry Marshall about it one time," said Givens, referring to the film's director, "and he said, 'Continuity is for sissies.'"

‘It’s Just a Movie’

Givens' favorite flub is in North by Northwest when Eva Marie Saint is about to shoot Cary Grant.

"In the background there's a little kid, and just before she pulls out the gun, he sticks his fingers in his ears … He knows it's going to happen and he's ready," said Givens, who has seen it many times and still laughs at it.

Givens sees himself as a humorist, and he said he has made a career of this for fun. But he thinks some at-home movie detectives go too far. He once got a letter pointing out that in Dances With Wolves someone was eating a Red Delicious apple, which the viewer said didn't exist at the time.

"This person was irate," said Givens, "and I wanted to write back and say: 'It's just a movie!'"

Pam Anderson to swap TV role for stripper pole

Former Baywatch beauty Pamela Anderson said on Thursday, she would like to retire from acting within two years and maybe perform as a stripper on boyfriend Kid Rock's concert tours.

Anderson, 34, who has been dating the Detroit rocker, 31, since last April, made the comments on syndicated TV news magazine Extra, which will air the two-part interview on Friday and Monday.

"Within a couple of years, I am just going to bow out," Anderson said. "I have a stripper pole in my bedroom. I was thinking that I would just take pole dancing lessons and go on the road with Kid Rock."

The Canadian native is currently the star and a producer of the crime drama V.I.P., which is in its fourth season. The former Playboy Playmate first shot to international fame as a bodacious lifeguard in Baywatch.

Anderson said she would prefer to be a full-time mother to her sons Brandon and Dylan by ex-husband Tommy Lee, the hard-living former drummer with rock band Motley Crue.

"I crave being with them," Anderson said. "I really want to stop everything and be with my kids. I have had a lot of craziness and it is just time to simplify."

Anderson said that Kid Rock, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, "is the best person I have ever met. He's got the whole thing. He's the rock star, father, lover, sweetheart."