Josh Lucas taking on Universal 'Hulk' for director Ang Lee

Josh Lucas is poised to reteam with his "A Beautiful Mind" co-star Jennifer Connelly in Universal Pictures' big-screen adaptation of the Marvel comic book "The Hulk" for director Ang Lee.

The computer-generated, effects-laden project is targeted for a spring start and a tentpole release June 20, 2003.

"Hulk" centers on research scientist Dr. Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) and his monstrous green-skinned alter ego, the Hulk. There is a love story between Banner and a female colleague, Betty (Connelly), who happens to be the daughter of Gen. Ross (Sam Elliott), a man in charge of the military base where scientific developments occur. Nick Nolte will portray Banner's father, a brilliant scientist who unwittingly passes on a tragic legacy to his son. Lucas will play Talbott, Betty's childhood friend who is now a soldier and rival to Banner.

"Hulk" is being produced by Gale Anne Hurd, Marvel Studios president Avi Arad and Good Machine co-chairman and Lee's producing partner James Schamus.

Lucas, repped by ICM, recently starred in Fox Searchlight's "The Deep End." He next stars in "Sweet Home Alabama" opposite Reese Witherspoon, Victor Nunez's indie feature "Coastlines" and Lions Gate Films' "The Weight of Water." His credits also include "American Psycho" and "You Can Count on Me."

Rudy Giuliani Goes Hollywood

USA Network announced plans today to develop a 2-hour original movie based on the life of Rudy Giuliani.

``Since 9/11, Rudy Giuliani has been an inspiration to us all,'' said Jeff Wachtel, USA Network's executive vice president, series and long form programming. ``We believe his controversial career, and his emergence as a true leader in a time of national crisis will be the springboard for a major 'event' movie for USA Network.''

Despite New York's love/hate relationship with Mr. Giuliani, who endured bruising political battles and romantic tumult that tarnished his reputation, he became an international hero when he pulled New York City together in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. The two-term mayor's deft handling of the crisis was applauded by all when he re-energized the City and captured the spirit of a nation under siege.

The project was brought to USA by Carlton America's Jody Brockway, vice president, development and production, Gary Goldberger, executive vice president, Stephen Davis, president and CEO, and JAM Pictures' Jane Walmsley and Michael Braham. Carlton America optioned the book RUDY! by Wayne Barrett, senior editor of The Village Voice, and the movie will be produced by Carlton America in association with JAM Pictures.

``Rudy Giuliani embodies the spirit of America. We are thrilled to be in business with USA on this high profile production,'' said Mr. Goldberger. ``Carlton America looks forward to a long term relationship with the Network.''

Carlton America is the U.S.-based television program development and production division of the United Kingdom's Carlton International Media Group. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it acquires, develops and produces made-for-television movies and other programming for television, and has a library of more than 165 films. Carlton America is developing movies for broadcasters including USA Networks, ABC, TNT and others, and produces a successful series of international action movies. Carlton America also has exclusive television movie distribution agreements with many of Hollywood's top rated producers, including Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films, Grossbart/ Barnett Productions, Nick Nolte's Kingsgate Entertainment, Longbow Productions, Carla Singer Productions, the Larry Thompson Organization, Randwell Productions and Beth Polson's Madison Avenue Production.

Aidan Quinn, Kelsey Grammer turning 'Traitor' for A&E telefilm

A&E Network has signed Aidan Quinn and Kelsey Grammer to star in its historical movie "Traitor: Benedict Arnold," set to shoot in the spring.

To be penned by playwright William Mastrosimone and directed by Mikael Salomon, "Traitor: Benedict Arnold" (working title) is a joint A&E/De Angelis Group/Jaffe/Braunstein Films Ltd./Jersey Guys/Victory Media Group co-production.

The movie begins filming in Dublin, Ireland, in April. It is tentatively set for an early 2003 airdate. Quinn will play Maj. Benedict Arnold, and Grammer will take the role of Gen. George Washington.

The film was originally slated to shoot last spring with a different production and talent team but was postponed because of the foot-and-mouth livestock disease spreading through Europe last year.

"This is a movie that requires horses and fields, so we had to wait," A&E senior vp programming Allen Sabinson.

A&E had originally pegged Tom Berenger in the lead role in the movie, which was to be directed by George Cosmatos and produced by Adam Stevens.

Sabinson said the road to producing "Traitor" was paved by A&E's 2000 miniseries "The Crossing," about Washington's crossing the Delaware, which set a network viewership record.

Making historical and bio-based movies has become A&E's specialty. It produced "Horatio Hornblower" in 2001 and is slated to air "Shackleton," a four-hour miniseries based on real-life arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, in April.

Director John Waters Seeks More Projects

Filmmaker John Waters says he'd like to make more movies: "Holy Anorexia" — a film about the eating disorders of saints — and anything starring Don Knotts.

The self-described "filth editor" revealed his plans while performing his standup routine "Shock Value."

He also told the crowd Friday how in 1988 he "accidentally made a family movie" — "Hairspray," which starred then-unknown actress and present-day talk-show host Ricki Lake.

"I remember the day I got a PG rating. I held my head in shame," Waters said.

Waters, 56, gained a following in 1972 with the cult classic "Pink Flamingos," which had characters competing for the title of world's filthiest person.

"If I discovered the cure for cancer tomorrow, `Pink Flamingos' would still be ahead of that in my obituary," Waters quipped.

His other films include "Cry-Baby" starring Johnny Depp and Patty Hearst "Serial Mom" with Kathleen Turner, and his most recent release, "Cecil B. Demented," starring Melanie Griffith as a fading star who is kidnapped by guerrilla filmmakers.

LA and L.A. Center Studios Location for Arnold Schwarzenegger's "T3

One small step against runaway production, one giant step for director Jonathan Mostow's peace of mind. On Friday, the producers of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "T3: Rise of the Machines," now in pre-production, announced that the mega-budget project will shoot entirely in Los Angeles, with interiors shot at L.A. Center Studios and exteriors shot in various locations throughout the city.

The approximately 100-day shoot for "T3" was originally divided between Vancouver and Los Angeles, with 60% in Canada. But Mostow cringed at the idea of having to split his time between countries for the demanding shoot -- not to mention facing the attendant continuity headaches.

Budget cuts were made to make the American dollar stretch almost as far as Canada's lagging Loonie.

"Any time a big production stays in Los Angeles, it's great for the city," said Morrie Goldman, a spokesman for Los Angeles' Entertainment Industry Development Corp. "Films like these spend a lot of money and use a lot of our vendors. It's a big deal, and it's great for our town."

"T3" is set for worldwide release in summer 2003. The film is reportedly budgeted at between $165 million and $180 million, with Schwarzenegger's fee accounting for $30 million.

Kate Mulgrew Plays Kate Hepburn

Kate Mulgrew is going where no actress has gone before in the world premiere of a play about Katharine Hepburn at the Hartford Stage Company.

Mulgrew, who as Capt. Kathryn Janeway led a crew through the far reaches of the galaxy in the "Star Trek: Voyager series for several years, stars in the one person biographical play "Tea at Five."

The play is set in the Hepburn family's summer home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook. The script is heavy with personal remembrances from the suicide of Hepburn's brother, professional disappointments with Hollywood and talk about her well-known affairs with John Ford and Spencer Tracy.

While Mulgrew doesn't have all of Hepburn's physical characteristics such as her carved cheekbones, Mulgrew's got the voice down pat and refers to herself as "Heppen."

"Tea at Five" was still in previews when the decision was made last week to extend the show to March 17 with an additional seven performances.

Walt Disney Television Animation, The Most Prolific Bets Ready For Piglet's Big Movie

Disney is quietly preparing "The Jungle Book II" and "Piglet's Big Movie" for theatrical release next year, but you won't find them on the production schedule at Walt Disney Pictures. Like last weekend's second biggest theatrical release, "Return to Never Land," they are being produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, the most prolific and one of the most profitable production units at the company in recent years.

Some insiders at Disney believe that "Return to Never Land" could wind up as the studio's most profitable theatrical release this year, at least on a percentage basis. The $19.5 million-budgeted film grossed an estimated $16.1 million in its first four days.

The division has more than a dozen animated movie projects for theatrical and video release in various stages of development, almost all of them sequels or spin-offs of animated movies and characters created from scratch by the studio's film division.

They range from adaptations of classic library titles like "Dumbo II" and "101 Dalmatians the Animated Sequel" to recent blockbusters like "Tarzan II" and "The Lion King III," as well as "Mulan II" and "Mulan III."

And that doesn't count the animated series produced for broadcast, cable, syndicated and international markets, including a TV series to be followed by a video premiere movie sequel in 2004 based on Disney's upcoming summer animated theatrical feature "Lilo and Stitch."

With relatively tiny budgets, the TV animation movies are solid profit centers for Disney, whether they get a theatrical or video premiere. For instance, while sources estimate a budget range from about $8 million-$15 million for each Disney TV production that takes about 2-1/2 years, "The Tigger Movie" generated $46 million in domestic box office receipts and nearly double that worldwide before it even went to video.

By comparison, Disney's full-scale animated films take twice as long to produce and have budgets of $75 million-$100 million or more since characters and background designs are created from scratch. The last two releases, "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," have generated less than $90 million each at U.S. theaters.

The profitability picture when a Disney TV movie premieres on video is often even greater. Disney's last two video premieres, "Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure" and "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea," have generated about $150 million each in domestic consumer spending, according to Daily Variety sister publication Video Business. That is comparable to, or sometimes more than, video revenue for Disney's theatrical features that cost from five to 10 times as much to produce.

And the potential upside for a video premiere is just as high as a theatrical release. Consumers spent about $300 million on "The Lion King II," more than the box office receipts from any animated theatrical release in history except one, the $313 million of the original "The Lion King" in 1994.

Disney TV usually doesn't know as it starts development and even begins production on a movie whether it will wind up in theaters or as a video premiere. After originally being penciled in as a theatrical project, "Return to Never Land" was switched to the video schedule before being slotted back in the theatrical lineup. As was the case with "Toy Story 2" from Pixar in 1999, "The Tigger Movie" was put into production as a video premiere before the studio decided to take it out theatrically on Presidents Day weekend in 2000.

"'The Tigger Movie' was kind of an experiment to see what would happen," Disney TV president David Stainton said. "We found out some things that have really surprised us. It was a tremendous success with our core audience. It turns out that 4-year-olds to 8-year-olds and their moms and dads are out there, alive and dying for our stuff."

Word just came down last week that "The Jungle Book II," which is already deep into production, will be going theatrical in 2003, largely because of the international appeal of the original. Meanwhile, Disney TV's "Cinderella II: Dreams Come True" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II" are premiering on video Feb. 26 and March 19, respectively.

Hollywood Has Urged Bush To Redouble Its Efforts To Stop DVD Piracy

Hollywood has urged the Bush administration to redouble its efforts to stop piracy in foreign markets, even if that means withdrawing trade benefits or imposing economic sanctions. In a wide-ranging report filed Friday with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Intl. Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) said that organized criminal syndicates dealing in the manufacture and distribution of pirated DVDs and CDs are on the rise at different points around the globe. Members of the IIPA include the Motion Picture Assn. of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) and a number of other Hollywood, publishing and software trade groups.

In particular, MPAA president Jack Valenti wants the Bush administration to keep close tabs on piracy in Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand, three of the world's largest exporters of renegade DVDs.

IIPA's report recommended that the trade rep's office combat "this scourge" by conducting what's known as "out-of-cycle" reviews to ensure progress in the three nations throughout this year.

Taiwan is on the USTR priority watch list because of piracy problems. The Taiwanese government has pledged to do a better job of cracking down on piracy. Last month, Taiwan enacted a new optical disc law and parallel enforcement plan.

An out-of-cycle review would allow the USTR to assess how well Taiwan is doing, and whether it should be taken off the priority watch list.

Last year, Malaysia was bumped one level down on the USTR's priority watch list to the regular watch list, after the government there stepped up enforcement of DVD piracy. Thailand also is on the regular watch list and needs a mid-year review to ensure that authorities defend and enforce piracy laws.

Both the MPAA and the RIAA also want the USTR to continue keeping a close eye on the Ukraine, home to widespread piracy. Last year, the USTR withdrew some of Ukraine's trading benefits and imposed $75 million in economic sanctions.

Also, the MPAA wants Lebanon to remain on the USTR's priority watch list, due to widespread cable piracy.

Valenti, who was in Germany over the weekend to attend closing ceremonies at the Berlin Film Festival, was scheduled to meet with high-ranking reps of the German government to discuss a number of issues, including digital piracy.

Valenti was expected to meet with Justice Minister Herta Daubler-Gmelin and Culture Minister Julius Nisa-Rumelin.

Bavaria Film International (BFI), Strong Sales On Grill Point (Halbe Treppe)

Grill Point (Halbe Treppe) being awarded the Jury Grand Prix, Silver Bear at the Berlinale on Sunday (Feb 17), Andreas Dresen’s bittersweet comedy had already impressed a host of international film buyers.

Bavaria Film International (BFI) closed a number of sales for the film, including to Denmark (Camera Film), Greece (Rosebud), Israel (Gilad) and the Czech Republic (Cinemart). This was in addition to the German speaking territory rights sold by producer Peter Rommel to Delphi Film (Germany), Filmladen (Austria) and Filmcoopi (Switzerland).

Unsurprisingly, BFI reports that the audience and critics’ favorite has also attracted interest from France, Sweden and buyers in other European territories.

Other deals signed by BFI at the European Film Market included the sale of Sandra Nettelbeck’s romantic tragicomedy Mostly Martha for the Benelux to Cinemien and for Taiwan to Crown Films. In addition, Finnish broadcaster YLE acquired TV rights for Fatih Akin’s road movie In July (Im Juli). Achim von Borries’ feature debut England! and Beatriz Flores Silva’s Tricky Life (En La Puta Vida)