Who's Writing The Hottest Sequel Project In Town?

Even before a word of "Spider-Man 2" has been committed to paper, the list of scribes has lengthened, and a there's web of intrigue surrounding them.

David Koepp, who was credited with writing the original, has suddenly returned to the fold after previously declaring that he was done. Koepp has emerged as the new writer of the film based on an idea he just came up with. To do this, he will temporarily lay aside his Sony adaptation of the Stephen King novel "Two Past Midnight: Secret Window, Secret Garden," a film he's set to direct.

The immediate question is just what becomes of screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the duo behind "Shanghai Noon" and the hit WB series "Smallville." When Sony announced in April that it would be fast-tracking the sequel for a January start date and a May 7, 2004 release, the scribes were the new ingredient among the returning players, with the studio sparked about their plans for the wall crawler.

According to Sony, those writers have only been replaced temporarily. While it seems unprecedented for the studio to engage one of Hollywood's highest priced scribes without dropping the previously hired duo, Columbia chairman Amy Pascal swears that is exactly what has happened, and that Gough and Millar are still employed as writers on the sequel.

"David had an idea and agreed to take some time off from the other project to write the first draft," she said. "Gough and Millar will then take his first draft and start working from there."

Those scribes, who were working on their own idea and were just starting the scripting process, will now wait until Koepp drafts his idea. Koepp apparently wasn't comfortable with furnishing an idea that another writer would put to paper, and it's likely that the original's huge success helped change his mind.

Given the accelerated production schedule the studio is under since announcing both a start and release date, and that "Spider-Man" will soon pass the $400 million gross mark in North America, throwing around a little extra money to screenwriters to get the second installment of the film right is no big deal.

New Regency Steps Up To Co-Finance Brad Pitt's 'Fountain'

The Brad Pitt sci-fi epic "The Fountain" (aka "The Last Man"), is back on track after a change of co-financiers. Fox-based New Regency, which recently released the Diane Lane hit "Unfaithful," has joined the Warner Bros. production, replacing Australia's Village Roadshow Pictures. The companies are currently trying to determine a start date for the production, budgeted north of $70 million.

Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream," "Pi") will direct from a script he co-wrote with Ari Handel. Plot details have been kept tightly under wraps.

Aronofsky's road toward production on this picture has been a rocky one. Village Roadshow came aboard last year, when the film was targeted for a fall 2001 start and a fall 2002 release. The company then pushed its production target to this summer, however, to accommodate Warners' budget concerns, as well as co-star Cate Blanchett's pregnancy.

While Warner Bros. executives were fans of Aronofsky's past films, applying his sensibility to a studio film -- one with a budget that dwarfs the $4.5 million "Requiem" -- gave them a moment's pause.

Piper Perabo, Stephen Rea, Sarah Polley And Stephen Lang Enter 'Inside' Circle

Piper Perabo, Stephen Rea, Sarah Polley and Stephen Lang have joined Ryan Phillippe in MDP Worldwide's psychological thriller "The I Inside" for director Roland Suso Richter ("The Tunnel").

Scripted by Michael Cooney and based on his play "Point of Death," "Inside" follows the life of Simon Cable (Phillippe), who awakens in the hospital after a near-death experience with amnesia. While searching for his identity, he discovers that he has the power to travel back in time, change his future and solve the mystery of his brother's murder. The project started lensing last week in the United Kingdom.

Perabo stars as Cable's manipulative wife, Anna; Rea plays Dr. Newman, who tries to piece together Cable's memory; and Polley and Lang play Claire and Travitt, respectively.

"'The I Inside' has brought together a highly talented group of actors whom we feel will give our director Roland Richter the capability of fully realizing the potential of this really superb script," MDP Worldwide chairman and CEO Mark Damon said.

MDP Worldwide will be distributing and co-producing the film with VIP Medienfonds 1 and MDP's wholly-owned German entity MDP Filmproduktion GmbH. Damon and Rudy Cohen will produce with Andrea Schmid and Andreas Grosch executive producing.

Johnny Depp, Action Star? Ask Jerry Bruckheimer.

The independent-minded Depp -- who has worked with such talents as the eccentric Tim Burton ("Sleepy Hollow") and the exiled Roman Polanski ("The Ninth Gate") -- is in the process of agreeing to star in two films for action impresario Bruckheimer.

Depp is in negotiations to sign a two-picture deal with the Walt Disney Co. that will see the actor working on back-to-back action projects for the producer, "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Takedown."

The actor would shoot "Pirates" for director Gore Verbinski in October and then segue into the March start for "Takedown," which Michael Haussman is directing.

Although the deal with Bruckheimer marks a departure for Depp, it will reunite him with Disney, where he's worked only once before, in the 1994 Touchstone Pictures feature " Ed Wood," directed by Burton.

"Pirates" focuses on a daring attempt to rescue someone from dangerous pirates who are trying to reverse an ancient curse. Depp will play the lead pirate, Jack.

The most recent draft of "Pirates," which is based on the legendary Disney theme park ride, was penned by "Shrek" scribes Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, working from earlier drafts from Jay Wolpert and Stuart Beattie.

"Takedown," based on Carsten Stroud's 1996 graphic nonfiction book "Deadly Force: In the Streets With the U.S. Marshals," revolves around a U.S. marshal (Depp) in pursuit of an assassin who raped and almost killed a female colleague/former lover. The marshal eventually learns that his target is protected by another branch of the U.S. government.

Jerry Stahl wrote the most recent draft of the script. Previous writers include John Lee Hancock, Henry Bean, Laith Zawawi and John Norville.

Bruckheimer Films' Mike Stenson and Chad Oman are executive producing both projects.

Depp is repped by UTA and Bloom, Hergott, Deimer & Cook. He will begin shooting Miramax Films' "Neverland" for director Marc Forester next week. He next stars in Miramax's "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" for writer-director Robert Rodriguez.

Todd Alcott To Pen ' Samurai Jack ' Pic For NL, Brett Ratner To Direct

New Line Cinema is set to hire Todd Alcott ("Antz") to script the live-action feature version of the popular animated adventure series "Samurai Jack."

The big-screen adaptation, to be directed by Brett Ratner of "Rush Hour" fame, will be based on a previously penned treatment from series creator Genndy Tartakovsky.

In the Cartoon Network series, Samurai Jack is an ancient Japanese warrior, son of an emperor who was defeated by an evil wizard. Jack trains to get revenge, but the wizard sends him into the future through a time portal. The series revolves around Jack's attempt to get back in time to free his family, battling the wizard's loyalists.

"Jack" is being produced by Ratner and his partner, Jay Stern, through their Rat Entertainment banner. New Line production vp Chris Godsick is overseeing for the studio.

Best known for writing the 1998 CG-animated DreamWorks film "Antz," Alcott's credits also include the 1999 romancer "Curtain Call" and 2000's "Deadworld." Alcott is repped by CAA, the Radman Co. and attorney Patti Felker.

The Sum of All Fears Holds US Box Office

The nuclear terrorism thriller "The Sum of All Fears" continued to add up with moviegoers, taking in $18.7 million to remain the No. 1 film for a second weekend. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" opened in second place with $16.35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Bad Company," another film about a stray nuclear device, proved a bit of a bomb. It debuted in fourth place with just $10.5 million.

Rounding out the top five were the year's biggest hits. "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," was No. 3 with $13.9 million, lifting its total to $255 million after 25 days.

"Spider-Man" came in fifth with $10 million for a 38-day total of $370.1 million.

The industry rebounded after last weekend, when the overall box office slumped for the first time in nearly four months. The top 12 movies this weekend grossed $101.7 million, up about 8 percent from the same weekend last year.

Still, it was a relatively quiet weekend compared to most of May, when "Spider-Man" and "Attack of the Clones" drove up revenues by 50 percent or more each weekend.

"You get used to expecting record-breaking films every weekend, especially this summer. I think we're just in a lull," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It's a little slow now, then some big movie will come along and set the world on fire again."

Next weekend brings three major releases: the live-action adaptation of "Scooby-Doo," Matt Damon's spy adventure "The Bourne Identity" and Nicolas Cage's war drama "Windtalkers."

"The Sum of All Fears," starring Ben Affleck in an adaptation of the Tom Clancy bestseller, has taken in $61.8 million in 10 days and should wind up topping $100 million.

"Ya-Ya Sisterhood" is headlined by Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd, Maggie Smith and James Garner in a tale of lifelong friends trying to repair a mother-daughter rift.

The film drew a mostly female crowd but got a positive reaction from male viewers, too, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the movie.

"The excellent word of mouth is going to make this movie have some great legs," Fellman said.

"Bad Company," one of several terrorism flicks delayed last fall after the Sept. 11 attacks, stars Anthony Hopkins as a CIA boss who recruits a street hustler ( Chris Rock) to foil terrorists trying to obtain a nuclear device.

The film got generally good scores from audiences, leaving distributor Disney puzzled over its weak performance.

"You can sit there and say, they liked it, what went wrong?" said Chuck Viane, the studio's head of distribution. "And you don't know."

"Attack of the Clones" continues to slump well behind its predecessor, "Episode I — The Phantom Menace," which was approaching $300 million by this point three years ago.

"Attack of the Clones" is expected to top out at a bit more than $300 million, compared to $431 million for "The Phantom Menace."

Factoring in ticket prices that are about 16 percent higher today, "Attack of the Clones" grossed less than half the $25.6 million "The Phantom Menace" did in its corresponding fourth weekend.

In limited release, the romantic thriller "Cherish," starring Robin Tunney and Tim Blake Nelson, debuted solidly with $40,000 in six theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Sum of All Fears," $18.7 million.
2. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," $16.35 million
3. "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," $13.9 million.
4. "Bad Company," $10.5 million.
5. "Spider-Man," $10 million.
6. "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," $9.4 million.
7. "Undercover Brother," $7.3 million.
8. "Insomnia," $5.9 million.
9. "Enough," $3.6 million.
10. "About a Boy," $2.7 million.

Gilbert Prepares for SAG Presidency

New Screen Actors Guild President Melissa Gilbert is matter-of-fact about the challenges of leading a fractious union as it grapples with the changing economics of the global entertainment industry.

 "Nothing, nothing in this building comes easily," Gilbert said recently as she sat in her office surrounded by photos of her family and a framed ballot from the first of two contentious elections she won against actress Valerie Harper.

Gilbert took office in March after the first election was rerun because of ballot irregularities.

But that was only a warm-up to the challenges she now faces. Chief among them is runaway production, which is costing the union thousands of jobs and compromising its clout in Hollywood.

In the months ahead, Gilbert will try to shore up a pension and health fund that has been deprived of an estimated $23 million since 1997 as actors take work in countries where union by-laws aren't necessarily followed.

In the process, she must enforce a rule that requires members to work only under SAG contracts — even when those jobs are outside the United States.

The so-called Rule One was extended globally on May 1 in an attempt to curb the exodus of film and television work to Canada, Australia and other countries. Penalties range from reprimand to ouster from the union in extreme cases.

Enforcement could lead to high-profile disciplining of major stars while putting SAG at odds with major studios that have insisted the union's authority doesn't extend beyond U.S. borders.

On top of it all, actors could find themselves in a situation in which the agents who are supposed to protect their interests also are their employers.

The problem was created when union members overwhelmingly rejected a contract regulating the relationship between actors and talent agents — a contract Gilbert strongly supported.

Now, agents are free to invest in production companies or advertising agencies that employ actors.

At the heart of Gilbert's challenge is a contentious, fractious membership of about 90,000 actors. A handful earn millions of dollars for a single movie, but most are unemployed much of the year

"This kind of discrepancy is unique. I don't know of any other union in the country that is like it," said William Daniels, who served as SAG president from 1999 to 2001. "When you're making $20 million per picture, sometimes you don't even know where your union headquarters is."

Unlike members of more traditional unions, SAG members can actually hold a variety of jobs, supporting themselves as waiters or accountants between acting gigs.

"We're not dealing with the traditional workforce where people have a lot of contact with each other or are in a work environment where they have a lot of internal cohesion," said Kent Wong, director of the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Labor Research and Education.

In recent years, the union has had to deal with its share of labor disputes.

A six-month strike by U.S. commercial actors in 2000 brought filming of television commercials to a halt. Much of that production went overseas and has not returned.

In 2001, the threat of strikes by actors and writers forced major studios to accelerate production of feature films. The strikes did not happen, but the subsequent lull put a lot of entertainment industry employees temporarily out of work.

On the runaway production front, SAG is now negotiating with studios film by film and recently reached agreements with Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount to honor SAG contracts on films being shot in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, in its dealings with agents, SAG is working to bring individual state laws in line with the previous agreement to avoid commission hikes and unfair labor practices.

SAG also has extended an olive branch to agents in hopes that the old agreement can be reinstated.

Through it all, the 38-year-old Gilbert is determined to provide strong leadership.

Her first challenge is to dispel her image as the child actress who rose to fame on the television show "Little House on the Prairie."

"I think a lot of people underestimate the level of my stubbornness," she said. "Not only do people still perceive that I'm going to be an absolute doormat, they perceive that I'm still 12 and am easily swayed and they are going to convince me to do whatever they want me to do. That just isn't the case."

Even critics give her credit for determination.

"I will say this about Melissa. She shows up at the guild every day," said Gordon Drake, a SAG board member who opposed Gilbert's election. "She works hard and I do believe she has the better interests of the membership in mind."

Gilbert said she hopes to change the perception of SAG as a disorganized, paralyzed union. But she is not expecting miracles.

"We're just a big, dysfunctional family of very dramatic and colorful people," she said. "I felt it was my time to step in and see if I couldn't direct that energy and colorfulness, those eccentricities, in a more productive direction.

"Unity? It's a nice word. It's just not necessarily an achievable goal. If I set out with that in mind, with that high an expectation, I'll be ridiculously disappointed when this is over."