• Director Jan De Bont on his way to deliver "Courier"
• DreamWorks Pictures Underdogs With Rawson Marshall Thurber Set to Direct
• Rob Schneider To Sell Insurance's
• Jerry Bruckheimer has 'Signature'
• Crispin Glover Signed For NL Horror Remake "Willard."
• New Line taps His Dark Materials
• USA Films Makes Broadway Musical "Contact" Into A Feature
• Box-office; 'Monsters," "Oceans," "Lord" tear it up overseas
• Pressplay signs up Britney Spears

Director Jan De Bont on his way to deliver "Courier"

Jan de Bont is in final negotiations to direct the action feature "The Courier" for Splendid Pictures and Newman/Tooley Films. Production is expected to begin in late spring.

"Courier," written by the team of Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, centers on a mythic figure who makes deliveries to anyone, anywhere, no questions asked. The courier is hired to make a delivery to a legendary underworld figure considered impossible to find.

Vincent Newman and Tucker Tooley will produce the film, while Splendid heads Andreas Klein and David Glasser will executive produce with de Bont and Avenue Pictures' Cary Brokaw. Jessika Borsiczky, head of de Bont's Blue Tulip Prods., will co-produce.

De Bont, repped by Endeavor and Weissman, Wolffe, Bergman, Coleman & Silverman, is best known for directing such films as "Speed," "Twister" and "The Haunting." He next produces the upcoming 20th Century Fox feature "Minority Report" and Dimension Films' "Equilibrium."

Splendid was established last month with the merger of Splendid Medien AG of Cologne, Germany, and Los Angeles-based Cutting Edge Entertainment. Behr, Abramson & Kaller are negotiating the deal on behalf of Splendid and Newman/Tooley Films.

DreamWorks Pictures Underdogs With Rawson Marshall Thurber Set to Direct

DreamWorks Pictures has picked up the comedy spec script "Underdogs" from Rawson Marshall Thurber, who wrote the script and will make his feature directorial debut for studio-based Red Hour Films.

Red Hour's Ben Stiller and Stuart Kornfeld will produce "Underdogs," described as being in the vein of "Stripes" and "The Bad News Bears." It follows a group of misfits and outcasts who enter a Las Vegas dodge ball tournament in hopes of saving their beloved gym.

" 'Underdogs,' God willing, will be the greatest dodge ball movie in the history of cinema; I hope to be drunk with power very soon," Thurber told the media. "Seriously though, there's nobody better than Red Hour for this film. It's a perfect combination, and I couldn't dream for more."

Thurber is rewriting the material, which DreamWorks' Adam Goodman and Red Hour's Rhodes Raider are overseeing.

Thurber, repped by Paradigm Agency and attorney Gretchen Bruggeman-Rush, is a graduate of the Peter Stark program at USC. He wrote and directed the short film "Terry Tate, Office Linebacker."

Rob Schneider To Sell Insurance's

Rob Schneider is ready to morph from male gigolo to insurance salesman. He is attached to star in "The Adventures of Sinbad the Insurance Salesman," a comedy about a claims officer who is unlucky in love until he meets a girl who transforms his life.

The script was written by "Simpsons" scribe Mike Reiss, who sold it to Paramount Pictures for a $500,000 advance against an $850,000 payout if the film is produced.

Schneider, the star of "The Animal" and "Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo," also intends to topline DreamWorks' "Harv the Barbarian," about a barbarian on a voyage of self-discovery.

Jerry Bruckheimer has 'Signature'

Jerry Bruckheimer Films has paid high-six against seven figures to pick up the pitch "Signature" from husband-and-wife writing team Cormac and Marianne Wibberly.

The deal reteams the Wibberlys with Bruckheimer after a successful pairing on "Bad Boys 2," which the duo scripted for Bruckheimer last year. Although the story line of "Signature" is being kept under wraps, Marianne Wibberly told The Hollywood Reporter that the project is a psychological thriller that centers on the way violent serial criminals are rehabilitated in the future.

The pitch was brought in by Bruckheimer Films president Mike Stenson, president of production Chad Oman and senior vp Melissa Reid. Bruckheimer will produce. Cormac and Marianne Wibberly pitched them the project in December, and the deal was wrapped up last week.

"The Bruckheimer people are so collaborative, and they support artists very well," Marianne Wibberly said, adding that the writing team was eager to get back to the sci-fi genre after scripting the Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer "The 6th Day," released by Columbia Pictures in 2000. "('Signature') is something we've been thinking about for a couple of years. We love both the sci-fi genre and the buddy comedy genre, but we haven't done a sci-fi project since 'The 6th Day,' so we are excited about going back to that."

The Wibberlys' most recent effort -- "I Spy," directed by Betty Thomas and starring Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson -- is scheduled to wrap up production this month. They sold their first spec, "The Kid Who Stole Christmas," to Disney in 1993.

The pair, who have been married since right out of high school, are repped by UTA and attorney David Colden at Colden, McKuin and Frankel.

Crispin Glover Signed For NL Horror Remake "Willard."

Crispin Glover has signed to star in New Line Cinema's upcoming horror remake "Willard." Glover will play the title character in the updated version of the 1971 horror film, which starred Bruce Davison as an outcast whose only friends are his pet rats. When one of the rats -- which will be CGI creations in the remake -- is killed where he works, Willard goes on a rampage, using his "friends" to help him exact revenge.

"Willard" is being written and produced by "The X-Files" alumni James Wong and Glen Morgan, the duo behind New Line's 1999 thriller "Final Destination." Morgan also will direct "Willard." The remake is being overseen by New Line executive vp production Richard Brener. Production is scheduled to begin Feb. 26.

For cult favorite Glover, "Willard" is the latest in a trio of high-profile projects to which he's committed. The actor is filming the 20th Century Fox comedy "Like Mike," with Lil' Bow Wow and Morris Chestnut, and also is set to appear in Sony's "Charlie's Angels" sequel.

Glover is represented by Agency for the Performing Arts vp Pamela Wagner. His "Willard" deal was brokered by APA's Barry McPherson.

New Line taps His Dark Materials

With its "Lord of the Rings" movie soaring toward $700 million worldwide, New Line has landed rights to co-produce another ambitious fantasy series, "His Dark Materials," from a trilogy of celebrated kids' books by Philip Pullman.

Pullman's U.K. publisher, Scholastic, has controlled film rights to the series for six years, and was sold on New Line's track record with "Rings."

Philip Pullman unlocks the door to a world parallel to our own, but with a mysterious slant all its own. Dæmons and winged creatures live side by side with humans, and a mysterious entity called Dust just might have the power to unite the universes--if it isn't destroyed first. Diving fearlessly into themes of childhood, innocence and sin, the books are full of magic, theology and science -- not to mention questions of morality and existence. Here, the three paperback titles in Pullman's heroic fantasy series are united in one dazzling boxed set. Join Lyra, Pantalaimon, Will, and the rest as they embark on the most breathtaking, heartbreaking adventures of their lives. The fate of the universe is in their hands. The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass Pullman's trilogy describes a world much darker than Harry Potter's Hogwarts.

"The Amber Spyglass" recently became the first-ever children's book to win Britain's prestigious and lucrative Whitbread prize. Pullman's U.S. publisher, Knopf, has printed 2.5 million copies of the trilogy, while 1.3 million copies have sold in the U.K.

"New Line demonstrated an absolute enthusiasm for this material," said Scholastic executive VP Deborah Forte, who runs the company's film and TV division. "They were willing to move fast, and they had the experience of 'Lord of the Rings' under their belt. It does require some courage. It's complex material. It's very rich with adventure and detail."

"Like 'Harry Potter' or 'Lord of the Rings,' it's one of those books that captures your imagination and just runs with it," New Line production president Toby Emmerich said. "We can take advantage of the CGI effects available now (and) bring this world to life in a celluloid universe. When 'The Lord of the Rings' is over, hopefully we won't miss a beat."  The second and third installments of the "Rings" trilogy are due out over the next two Christmases.

USA Films Makes Broadway Musical "Contact" Into A Feature

USA Films will turn the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Contact" into a feature that will mark the directorial debut of Susan Stroman.

Stroman won a Tony choreographing the musical, and a pair of Tonys for choreographing and directing "The Producers." The film will be adapted by John Weidman, and produced by Laurence Mark. The plan is to begin production later this year in New York.

While there is little dialog in the stage musical, the feature will be scripted with dance numbers woven in.

The picture will focus on the third act, in which a commercials director who can't connect with anyone finds himself taken with a girl in a yellow dress he sees on a dance floor. Musical numbers from the first two acts will be worked in, and although there will be many dance numbers, the opportunity to cast a big male star is there because he doesn't have to be a standout hoofer. "Contact" becomes the latest of several stage properties being prepped for the screen.

Box-office; 'Monsters," "Oceans," "Lord" tear it up overseas

A fab February is shaping up at the overseas box office as a slew of U.S. blockbusters and a sprinkling of homegrown hits rolled out last weekend.

"Ocean's Eleven" played winning hands in Japan and Mexico, "Monsters, Inc." saw giant Euro premieres and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" wowed Argentina and Hong Kong.

"Vanilla Sky" dawned brightly in Italy but was less luminous in Spain, while "Black Hawk Down" had high-flying launches in South Korea and the Philippines.

The Steven Soderbergh-helmed "Ocean's Eleven" conned $6.5 million in Japan, including sneaks, outperforming "The Matrix" to rank as the industry's 11th biggest opening weekend ever, just shy of "Pearl Harbor's" entry. The casino caper also commanded pole position in Mexico (notching $2.2 million) and South Africa ($242,000, the market's eighth best bow).

Warner Bros. estimated "Ocean's" weekend haul at $16 million from 20 territories, elevating its haul to $81 million.

"Monsters, Inc." whistled up $3.1 million in Germany for the market's fourth-biggest toon bow behind "Dinosaur," "Tarzan" and "The Lion King," and $570,000 in Austria (beating the "Toy Story" films). The picture also drew $415,000 in Taiwan (on par with "Toy Story 2") and $250,000 in Poland as its foreign total climbed to $58.5 million.

"The Lord of the Rings" hit $393 million overseas after racking up $16 million over the weekend. Peter Jackson's epic picked up $1.2 million in Argentina, beating "Harry Potter," and the market's third-highest in history behind "Titanic" and "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." In Hong Kong, "Rings" ran to a hot $1.2 million.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" levitated to $592.5 million on the back of an $8.3 million weekend in 52 countries. The Hogwarts Express mustered $580,000 in Turkey (the third-best industry premiere) and an estimated $2 million in China.

The Tom Cruise/Penelope Cruz headliner "Vanilla Sky" scooped up $2.2 million in Italy (just 2% less than "Mission: Impossible 2" in local currency) and a so-so $911,000 in Spain. The film fell by a reasonable 36% in the U.K., picking up $8.8 million in 10 days, and by 34% in Germany, making $4.7 million in 11 days. But it plummeted by a disastrous 75% in France, eyeing a modest $3.2 million in 11 days, as the French comedy "Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra" posted massive numbers.

"From Hell" was a creditable No. 2 in France (where topliner Johnny Depp has a sizable following), scaring up $1.1 million. "Hell" is tapering off in Italy after pocketing a stellar $8.5 million.

"Black Hawk Down" captured $884,000 in South Korea, trailing two Korean titles, the sci-fi/actioner "2009 Lost Memories" and the sophomore session of "Public Enemy"; the war picture choppered a similarly feisty $390,000 in the Philippines. Early in its foreign campaign, the Somalia battle saga has earned a sturdy $6.7 million through its third stanza in the U.K.

Still in the war zone, "Behind Enemy Lines" seized top spot Down Under with a nifty $910,000, but corpsed in Germany with $457,000. The Bosnian tale has scraped up a meager $19.5 million from 43 markets, with Japan the only significant territory ahead.

The Farrelly brothers' comedy "Shallow Hal" was the best of the freshmen in the U.K., fetching $1.8 million, while Robert Altman's "Gosford Park" unspooled with a promising $1.1 million.

Purely from holdovers, "Spy Game" played along to $57.7 million and is a sure shot to overtake domestic's $63 million, with Brazil, Germany, Korea, Turkey and some small fry on the horizon. (Reuters)

Pressplay signs up Britney Spears

Pressplay, a mainstream version of Napster, has signed a deal to ensure Britney Spears, N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys feature on its web music service. Users will be able to download or listen to music over the web for a monthly fee

The agreement with Zomba music means all artists on the Jive, Silvertone and Verity labels will be added to its library.

Pressplay is a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group.

Along with rival MusicNet, it constitutes mainstream music's attempt to repeat the success of Napster while generating revenue for the industry.

Users are invited to listen to tracks streamed over the web, or downloaded onto their desktops, for a monthly fee.

Pressplay chief executive Andy Schuon described the deal as an important step towards including "the vast majority of the world's popular music" in the service.