Brent Hanley to write and Bill Paxton to Direct, Karma

While he's known for "Frailty," scribe Brent Hanley is looking quite robust these days. With the Bill Paxton-helmed "Frailty" due out next month via Lions Gate, Hanley has inked a deal to adapt Thomas Lane's novella "The Karma Files," a project set up at Canada's Fireworks Pictures.

The picture, to be called "Karma," follows a detective with the ability to access past lives, a talent he uses to solve crimes committed both in the past and in the future.

"It accepts this whole other idea that you're a spiritual being, instead of just a body," said Colleen Camp, one of the producers. "In a really fascinating way, it asks, 'Why do you meet certain people? Why do some people on the Titanic live and others die?"'

Hanley most recently wrote the adaptation of Louis Sachar's "Holes," which begins lensing next month with Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight starring in the Walden Media project.

TNT, WB Television and Mark Wolper Scare up Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT as Miniseries

Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT will come to life as a Turner Network Television (TNT) original dramatic miniseries event, it was announced today by Steve Koonin, executive vice president and general manager of TNT.  TNT and Warner Bros. Television will co-produce the four-hour miniseries, with Mark Wolper (TNT's The Mists of Avalon, The Thornbirds)  executive-producing for The Wolper Organization, and Peter Filardi (Flatliners, The Craft) penning the script from Stephen King's best-selling book.

"The epic works of Stephen King have always translated into compelling television, especially in long-form miniseries," said Koonin.   "We are proud to be continuing our association with Mark Wolper, who executive produced the highly successful miniseries The Mists of Avalon for TNT last year.   Under Mark's guidance, Stephen's King's SALEM'S LOT will be a great fit with our positioning as the home of great dramatic television events."

In SALEM'S LOT, King's vicious take on the perfect All-American community, the seditious horrors and close-held secrets of small town life turn into unimaginable terror when a mysterious stranger arrives in town and ultimately reveals himself to be a vampire looking to sink his teeth into a new home.

Wolper started working with his father, David Wolper, on the feature documentary This is Elvis in 1981.  They have worked together since on hundreds of hours of television, including The Thornbirds, North and South, Queen and Napoleon and Josephine.  He moved the Wolper Organization toward feature-film production with Murder in the First, starring Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon; Surviving Picasso, starring Anthony Hopkins; and the Academy Award* winner L.A. Confidential.  More recently, Wolper executive-produced TNT's critically acclaimed miniseries The Mists of Avalon, starring Julianna Margulies, Anjelica Huston and Joan Allen, and currently has several projects in development, including a feature with Bill Mechanic and Disney based on a Playboy Magazine article, a feature based on the life of Betty Paige; and a modern twist on the Frankenstein legend for TBS Superstation.

New Line Cinema Has Acquired Rookie Feature Spec Script "King's Ransom

New Line Cinema has acquired rookie feature scribe Wayne Conley's spec script "King's Ransom," an ensemble comedy in the vein of "Ruthless People."

The story follows a rich, cocky and generally despised businessman who realizes he may lose half of his wealth to the obnoxious wife he's trying to divorce. He decides to arrange his own kidnapping in order to wipe him out and claim poverty, but he finds out that several parties have plans to kidnap and ransom him as well.

Conley, who was paid a low-six-figure advance, has written for Nickelodeon program "Kenan & Kel" and produced Nick's "The Nick Cannon Show."

Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu To Join Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill

Daryl Hannah has come on board and Lucy Liu is in final talks to join a high-wattage ensemble cast for Quentin Tarantino's long-anticipated next directorial effort, "Kill Bill."

 The Miramax Films project stars Uma Thurman as a woman who is shot by her husband, the title character, played by Warren Beatty. She emerges from a coma several years later to get her revenge, which puts her on a collision with murderous associates. His second-in-command, played by Hannah, is Thurman's nemesis. Liu plays Oren Ishi, queen of the Tokyo Yakuza.

Tarantino, the picture's writer and director, and producer Lawrence Bender, also have cast Michael Madsen as Bill's brother. The two were huddled in casting Thursday and couldn't be reached by press time.

Jacqueline Bisset also is rumored to be contemplating a part in the picture. "Kill Bill" now has a start date in June, and will shoot in California, China, Japan and Mexico.

Mel Gibson Has Signed A Two-Year First-Look Production Deal With 20th Century Fox

Mel Gibson's Icon Entertainment, which produced the actor's current film "We Were Soldiers," has signed a two-year first-look production deal with 20th Century Fox, ending its long-term association with Paramount. Terms of the deal call for Gibson to star in at least one picture for Fox.

Gibson, who heads the production and foreign sales shingle with Bruce Davey, had been expected to move from Paramount after his deal concluded in December.

In a statement, Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos said, "We consider this new partnership with Icon as a great opportunity to work with an enormous creative talent and a proven team of successful filmmakers. Over the past several years, Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey together have brought to the screen works of lasting impact, and we are thrilled to be in business with them."

Gianopulos noted Fox's relationship with Icon dates back to "Braveheart," which Fox handled internationally. "We had a great experience on 'Braveheart,' and we've expressed the desire to partner with Icon for several years," he added.

For Fox, Gibson's deal is the most significant signing since the studio's three-year first-look pact last fall with filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott.

Icon develops its own material and sells off the pictures' international territories, allowing the shingle to act as a co-financer as well as build a valuable library. Gianopulos said Fox was comfortable with that aspect of the relationship due to the strength of other suppliers to Fox's foreign pipeline.

Icon has long been viewed as one of Paramount's A-list producers, but the studio has also said that it is less interested in giving up foreign rights to its releases.

While Gibson is the jewel in Icon's crown, the shingle's business plan calls for a steady stream of non-Gibson titles, many of which are targeted for the international marketplace.

Icon has produced more than a dozen films since the company moced to Paramount from Warner Bros. in 1995, only four of which were handled domestically by the studio.

In addition to "We Were Soldiers," the quartet includes the comedy blockbuster "What Women Want," the Kim Basinger starrer "Bless The Child," and the BAFTA Award-winning "Fairy Tale: A True Story." Paramount also acquired the Icon production "Kevin and Perry Go Large" but released the film direct to video.

Andie Macdowell Blossoms In ' Harrison's Flowers '

Andie MacDowell's 13-year marriage was in disarray and her spirits were low. Surprisingly, she found solace in making a movie about a woman's intense love for her husband.

 ''I was very raw and very depressed. The idea of having a love like that was very appealing to me,'' says MacDowell, looking back to 1999 when production began on Harrison's Flowers and she separated from her husband, model-turned-contractor Paul Qualley. (Read Her Interview)

In Flowers, MacDowell plays a Newsweek photo editor who refuses to believe her photojournalist husband (David Strathairn) is dead. She leaves her two children behind to search for him in war-torn Yugoslavia. The movie opens today Friday 03/15.

''A lot of people said, 'Would she leave her children?' There are people fighting in this war (in Afghanistan) right now who are leaving their children, simply to protect our country. There are women doing that,'' says MacDowell, who has three children.

Best known for romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Green Card, the actress gets down and dirty in Harrison's Flowers. Her character is nearly raped during her perilous journey.

''It's wonderful that Andie had an opportunity to play a role like that. It showed her versatility and her strength,'' says Adrien Brody, who plays another photojournalist.

MacDowell looks radiant as the sun shines on her long hair and she sits on a couch in a St. Regis hotel suite, sipping jasmine tea. She wears a low-cut, sky-blue sweater set, and her navy-blue slacks cling to her slim frame.

At 43, she's quite proud of her body, at one point rising to show off her butt, which she tries to keep shapely with lunges and weights. She knows people wondered at the Golden Globes whether she had had a breast job when she dazzled on the red carpet in a revealing Escada gown.

''Everybody was all in awe of my dad-gum boobs,'' she says, her Southern drawl much more apparent in person than in her films. ''That was embarrassing. I think that was part of the reason why I never dressed like that, because I didn't want people to make those stupid comments.''

So did she? She says no. ''You don't need to get a boob job,'' she says. ''You've just got to get a Victoria's Secret water bra and it will change your life.''

Credit new hubby Rhett Hartzog, whom she married in November, with selecting that dress. The two grew up together in Gaffney, S.C., and now reside in woodsy Asheville, N.C., with MacDowell's children, Justin, 15, Rainey, 12, and Sarah Margaret, 6. Born Rosalie Anderson MacDowell, at home she goes by Rose or Rosie.

MacDowell doesn't shun Hollywood, but she enjoys living down the road from her sister and being near her father. Her mother died of a heart attack when MaDowell was in her 20s.

Next month, the actress reunites with Anna Chancellor (Duckface in Four Weddings and a Funeral) in Crush, a romantic comedy about three single women who meet weekly to compare their pathetic love lives. MacDowell plays a headmistress who falls for a 25-year-old former student. With a new husband and two new movies, MacDowell is having the time of her life.

''I feel like I'm in better shape and more in control,'' she says. ''I feel more confident. I think that's what happens when you turn 40. Everybody makes it sound like it's such a miserable state, but it's actually incredibly wonderful and empowering. And I think the 50s are going to be really cool, too.'' (Copyright Kelly Carter)

'Resident Evil' Tries Hard Game-To-Movie

Can Milla Jovovich's "Alice," in leather boots and mini skirt, match Angelina Jolie's butt-kicking "Lara Croft" at the box office?

Or is model-turned-actress Jovovich headed down the same route to a box office flop as all-digital "Dr. Aki Ross?"

These are questions inquiring producers of "Resident Evil," the latest film based directly on a successful video game, are asking ahead of the movie's debut on Friday.

Last year's two major games-turned-movies, "Tomb Raider," starring Jolie as the game's heroine, and "Final Fantasy," with the fully-digital character Ross, had very mixed results. "Tomb Raider" was made for about $80 million and grossed over $131 million in the United States alone.

But "Final Fantasy," widely regarded as one of the most advanced animated films ever, reportedly cost $137 million to make and grossed only $32.1 million domestically, a result so poor the studio arm of Japanese video game publisher Square Co. Ltd., which made the film, went out of business.

What's to say "Resident Evil" won't meet the same fate? The answer may well be the director's obsession with the game.

"I lost like three months of my life with 'Resident Evil' (the game)," director Paul W.S. Anderson told Reuters. "What really helps is if you have a team making the movie ... that are really big fans of the game."

VIRUS MAKES UNDEAD THIRST FOR BLOOD

The "Resident Evil" franchise began in 1996, has spawned four games and sold 18 million units worldwide, according to Bill Gardner, president of Capcom Entertainment, the U.S. arm of Capcom Co. Ltd., the game's publisher.

"The strategy and direction this film took is a little bit different than has been taken in past," Gardner told Reuters. "This time the strategy was to let the movie makers make the movie ... about the video game."

Gardner said Capcom was not involved in the making of the film beyond having script approval, and he said he has not yet even seen the film.

The movie tells the story of "Alice," a security operative for the multinational conglomerate Umbrella Corp., which derives most of its profits in secret from research into genetic engineering and viruses.

That secretive research is done underground in a facility called "The Hive." When the experimental T-Virus is released into the Hive's air system, the "Red Queen," a computer system that controls the Hive's functions, kills all its occupants.

Alice, suffering from amnesia as the result of one of the Red Queen's security measures, must lead a commando team into the hive to find and stop whoever spread the virus.

They also must try to escape the scores of Hive workers killed by the Red Queen, who have been reanimated by the T-Virus's nerve regeneration properties and turned into blood-sucking undead.

The film is being released by Screen Gems, a unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment, itself a part of Sony Corp

DIRECTOR EXPERIENCED WITH GAME MOVIES

The R-rated film (children under 17 must be accompanied by adults) also stars Michelle Rodriguez, who made her debut in the critically acclaimed "Girlfight," and features a score co-written by shock-rocker Marilyn Manson.

One of the film's biggest assets is Anderson, who directed 1995's "Mortal Kombat," one of the first truly successful movie adaptations of a video game. It cost $20 million to make and grossed $150 million worldwide.

Anderson has stuck to the sci-fi/action genre since, directing "Soldier," with Kurt Russell, and "Event Horizon," with Laurence Fishburne. And he is in pre-production on "Death Race 3000," a starring vehicle for Tom Cruise being co-produced with the actor's production company.

"There is a huge fan base you have to please," Anderson told Reuters. "They really love the game, and they're very hard to please.

"You have to make a movie that kind of fits within that universe and kind of builds on that already existing universe," he added.

While the movie relies heavily on special effects, Anderson said Jovovich did all her own stunts, and the "undead" dogs that attack her in the film are real Dobermans, covered in makeup. Some close-ups of the dogs' faces were animated, though, to keep from using makeup that might bother them. "The only animals we mistreated were the actors," Anderson said.

National Filmmaking Competition Brings 25 Filmmakers Closer to the $1,000,000 Prize

The Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival moves into a new phase this week with ``View, Vote & Win,'' the month-long period when consumers can view and rate the 25 quarterfinalists films on http://www.chrysler.com.

The 25 quarterfinalists were selected from the more than 400 short films submitted from around the country to the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival. The festival is a year-long competition and series of events providing filmmakers the opportunity to compete for a $1 million feature film production deal courtesy of the Chrysler brand, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures.

Consumers can enter daily by viewing and rating a film at http://www.chrysler.com, from March 14 through April 14, where they become eligible to win prizes such as portable CD players and MP3 players. Each day a different prize will be given away to a lucky winner during ``View, Vote & Win.''

``For the true fans, the only thing better than viewing films is the opportunity to become a film critic. 'View, Vote and Win' is a great opportunity for film buffs to do both,'' said Jay Kuhnie, Director-Chrysler/Jeep Communications.

``Involving the millions of Internet users in choosing the next great emerging feature filmmaker for the second year creates a dynamic relationship between Hypnotic and the people who are always fascinated by the filmmaking process,'' says Dave Bartis, CEO, Hypnotic.

In April, 10 semi-finalists will be selected from the list of 25 to participate in an Extreme Filmmaking Competition at the same time as the Cannes Film Festival, which is scheduled for May 15-26. Set against the French Riviera, these 10 semi-finalist filmmakers must script, cast, shoot, and edit a five-minute short film that will co-star a Chrysler vehicle.

The films will be premiered and judged by a blue ribbon panel of judges at Cannes to determine the five finalists who will then move on to the Feature Film Packaging phase in Los Angeles. While in Toronto, the five finalists will present their pitch as well as the films promotional poster and trailer to a blue ribbon panel of judges, and one filmmaker will be selected as the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival winner.

The 25 films and directors selected to compete in ``View, Vote & Win'' include: ``60 Cups of Coffee'' by David Ward, ``American Mod'' by Kolton Lee, ``Cleave'' by Hollie Lavenstein, ``Ed'' by Justin Chinn, ``The Etiquette Man'' by Steve Coulter, ``A Girl's Guide to the Galaxy'' by Catherine Tingey, ``The Good Things'' by Seth Wiley, ``Holiday on the Moon'' by Sam Bozzo,`` ''In Life We Soar`` by Patrick Daughters, ''Indefinitely`` by Marc Palvinsky, ''The Love Song of Henry Milk`` by Ben Nedivi, ''Lunch`` by Matthew Ehlers, ''Mental Hygiene`` by Lori Silverbush, ''My Chorus`` by Richard Doherty, ''The Parlor`` by Geoffrey Haley, ''Remote Control`` by Ivan Zivkovic, ''The Ride Home`` by Sam Hoffman, ''Roslyn`` by Will Canon, ''Santa's Little Helper`` by Jason Grant Smith, ''Shy Guy`` by Fabien Michel, ''Thursday Afternoon`` by Clay Westervelt, ''Tower of Babble`` by Jeff Wadlow, ''Trapped in Freedom`` by Moh Azima, ''Upheaval`` by Itamar Kobow, and ''Whoa`` by Maurice A. Dwyer.