Sylvester Stallone, Thandie Newton, Gabriel Byrne In The RKO crime thriller "Shade"

Sylvester Stallone, Thandie Newton, Gabriel Byrne and Stuart Townsend will star in RKO Pictures' crime thriller "Shade" from first-time writer-director Damian Nieman. Production begins May 30 in Los Angeles.

"Shade" is set in the world of poker hustlers working the clubs and martini bars of Los Angeles. The tale unfolds as the hustlers -- Newton, Townsend and Byrne -- encounter "The Dean" (Stallone) and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster.

RKO chairman and CEO Ted Hartley is producing with Hammond Entertainment's David Schnepp and Chris Hammond. Merv Griffin and Joe Nicolo will executive produce with actor Bo Hopkins, who also will appear in the film.

"It's been a long time since there has been a cool L.A. movie; we hope this film does for modern Los Angeles what 'L.A. Confidential' did for 1950s Los Angeles," Hammond said. He said that the producers plan to feature numerous local landmarks in the film, including the Argyle Hotel, the Magic Castle and the Roosevelt Hotel. Hammond said the project takes its roots in an underworld that very much exists in Los Angeles today.

"There is a network of card hustlers and gamblers who use sleight of hand and card manipulation to get what they want," he said. "Damian is a former top-card 'mechanic' and is drawing on his own personal knowledge for this film."

Said Hartley: "I could not think of a better group of talented actors coming together on this RKO picture. I believe this will be the first of a number of truly exciting pictures that RKO will produce this year. We all fell in love with Damian Nieman's screenplay with its colorful cast of characters."

Cobalt Media Group's Peter Rogers and Ralpho Borgos will handle international sales for the film, which debuts on their sales slate at this month's Festival de Cannes.

Matthew Perry Is Forging A Future In Features With Paramount

As the NBC sitcom "Friends" heads toward its ninth season, Matthew Perry is forging a future in features, agreeing to star in two films for Paramount Pictures.

The first is "One of Us," a drama in which Perry plays a man who returns to his home town to run the family business after his dad dies. A pair of aliens move to town with an eye toward taking one person for an experiment, and Perry falls in love with the female, who's cloaked in fetching human form.

Perry will executive produce. Paramount paid a mid-six-figure advance for the script by "Phenomenon" scribe Gerald Di Pego.

He will follow that film with a comedy for the studio. The deal comes after Perry completed the comedy "Serving Sara," Cast: Elizabeth Hurley (Sara), Matthew Perry, Bruce Campbell, Cedric the Entertainer, Vincent Pastore, Amy Adams; other cast not announced yet. Director: Reginald Hudlin Screenwriters: Jay Scherick, David Ronn and rewrite by Carol Leifer, Chuck Martin Story line: A process server (Matthew Perry) is convinced by a woman to serve divorce papers to her husband, who resides in Texas, and the duo promptly embark on a road trip from New York City to the Lone Star state to find him. On their adventure together, the server starts to fall for his companion. It's been described as a Midnight Run-type chase movie Production Company: Mandalay Pictures Release Date: August 23rd, 2002

Ludacris To Star and Produce 'Skip Day' with Par, MTV Films

Paramount Pictures and MTV Films have teamed with rapper Ludacris and Original Film to develop a comedic feature film around the rap star tentatively titled "Skip Day," which Phil Bowman will write.

Ludacris pitched the idea for himself to star in and executive produce as well as contribute to the film's soundtrack.

"Skip" is described as "House Party" meets "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" set in Atlanta. It's about a high school teenager (Ludacris) and his buddy, who are transferred from an inner-city school to an uptight suburban prep school where they turn things upside down in their quest to initiate a skip day among the senior students. At the same time, the principal is on to them, and they try to elude him in accomplishing their goal. Original's Neal Moritz and Brad Luff are producing the project.

Ludacris, repped theatrically by WMA, had a bit part as a customer at a car wash in Lions Gate's "The Wash." Next month, he begins production on the Gary Hardwick-directed indie feature "Radio," which shoots in Los Angeles.

The 23-year-old rap star, who is signed to Def Jam Records, released his sophomore album, "Word of Mouf," in November. The album has since gone double-platinum. Bowman was a writer on such films as "Not Another Teen Movie" and "Scary Movie."

Cannes 2002: Taal, Devdas to be screened at Cannes

Bollywood blockbusters "Taal" and "Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham" and the yet to be released "Devdas" are the three Indian films to be screened at the Cannes film festival on May 20.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Sushma Swaraj will reach Cannes on May 20 to inaugurate the India Day celebrations along with a host of delegates from the ministry as well as film industry, says a release here.

Cannes is not only the biggest film festival in the world but also the biggest marketing platform for all kinds of films from all over the world, the release said.

Renowned film-maker Subhash Ghai said, "Cannes is an opportunity to showcase our cinema with our sensibility to the world market".

Ghai's Mukta Arts, under whose banner Taal was made, will also showcase its other products at the Indian stall to be set up at the festival.

Harry Potter breaks video sales in the UK

Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone (will be released in the US on May 28, 2002) has broken yet more records by becoming the fastest selling video and DVD of all time.

In the UK 1.25m copies were sold on its first day of release on Saturday, with many shops staying open until midnight so fans could get their hands on a copy. The film adaptation of JK Rowling's bestselling tale of a trainee wizard broke the record of 1.1m sales set by Titanic in 1997. "The demand for this video has been unprecedented and the results have exceeded all our expectations,"

The added extras on the DVD - which include a 360 degree self-guided tour of Hogwarts, and the chance to learn to play quidditch - will hopefully appease Harry Potter fans who will have to wait another year for the next book. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was due for publication this summer, but has been put back until June 2003. Work on the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is currently on schedule and the movie should be released in time for Christmas this year.

Censorship: Crowds flock to film to beat censor's

Almost 50,000 Australians rushed to their local art-house cinemas this weekend to watch the erect penises and heaving buttocks that have made the French film Baise-Moi infamous, before censors had it removed from screens yesterday.

Police officers marched into a Sydney cinema to cancel a screening. In Melbourne on Sunday, hundreds queued in the rain to see the film before the ban was enforced.

The tale of two women going on a sex-and-murder roadtrip after one of them is raped was banned three days after its release in France - though it was later released again - and caused tabloid outrage on its release in Britain.

In Australia, a coalition of Christian conservatives and porn industry representatives concerned that Baise-Moi encroached on their territory lobbied the rightwing Liberal government to ban the film before its release last month.

Box office records were broken at art-house cinemas when, a few days before Baise-Moi opened, the government ordered a panel appointed by the Australian attorney general to review the film's "adults only" rating.

Now an equally improbable combination of state leaders, free speech activists and right wing radio talkshow hosts are condemning the ban.

"This could be the worst film made in the last five years but it leaves some of us with a dubious feeling if we now have police going into cinemas," Bob Carr, the Labor premier of New South Wales, said. "We don't want to give encouragement to people who institute banning of books or closing down stage shows."

But Mr Carr last night conceded that it would be legally difficult for his state government to defy the ban and screen the film in Sydney.

Australian cinema operators and free speech activists have accused the panel of pandering to the government's rightwing agenda.

Alex Meskovic, the manager of Sydney's Chauvel cinema, was ordered by police on Sunday to stop showing the film. He called the review board a "totally unfair kangaroo court".

Mr Meskovic and the film's Australian distributors said they will consider legal action after their lawyers have scrutinised the review board's report on its decision, which will be released in 10 days.

Cinemas in Melbourne and Canberra are exploring whether they can use state laws to circumvent the federal government's ban.

Cannes 2002: Cine-International will premier "As Far as my feet will carry me"

Hardy Martins‘ 2nd feature film following his international success of „Cascadeur – The Amber Chamber“ The feature film "As Far as my feet will carry me" (So Weit die Fuesse Tragen) was awarded by Houston WorldFest for Best Cinematography (Pavel Lebeshev) and Best Action Adventure It is the incredible journey undertaken by the German soldier Clemens Forell and his dramatic escape from a Siberian labor camp during World War II.
Cast: Bernhard Bettermann („Straight Shooter“), Irina Pantaeva („Celebrity“ by Woody Allen), Michael Mendl („Schlafes Bruder“ by Joseph Vilsmaier, „Amen“ by Costa Gavras), Anatoly Kotenyov („The 4th Planet“, „Deserteur“)
Director of Photography: Pavel Lebeshev Music by Edward Artemyev
Based on the true story of Josef M. Bauer's internationally bestselling novel „As far as my Feet will Carry me“, this powerful epic captures the incredible journey of German soldier Clemens Forell in his dramatic escape from a Siberian labour camp after World War II.
Through the bitter cold of winter, desolate landscapes, and life threatening adventures, Forell - determined to return to his beloved family - makes his way, step by step, day by day, towards Persia and the longed-for freedom. 8,000 miles and three endless years of uncertainty later, he is finally about to reach his destination…
Director of photography Pavel Lebeshev is known for Nikita Michalkov’s „Family Relations, or „Barber of Siberia“ (1998). He has been nominated for the NIKITA-Award – the „Russian Oscar“ - for Dimitri Meshkinger’s „Over the Dark Water“ (1993). In 2000 Pavel Lebeshev has been honoured, together with composer Edward Artemyev, by Russian president Vladimir Putin in person, for his outstanding merits in „The Barber of Siberia“
Genre, Running Time: Feature Film, Drama, (152 min)
Language: German/Russian, with English subtitles
Director: Hardy Martins
Producer: Jimmy C. Gerum, Cascadeur Filmproduktion GmbH
Co-production partners: Bastian Clevé, B&C Filmproduktion GmbH, Roland Pellegrino, CP Medien AG
WORLD SALES: Cine-International, Munich/Germany.

New Booz Allen Report Finds Digital Cinema Years Away From Widespread Acceptance

Cost of Changeover to Digital Projection the Key Obstacle -- Piracy and Competing Technical Standards Also Concerns; Will Distributors Step in and Underwrite New Digital Technology?

With the release of Star Wars Episode II, attention again turns to digital cinema. But moving beyond the hype, digital projection of films faces several major obstacles. A new report by Booz Allen Hamilton finds that full acceptance of digital cinema by the film industry is still a long way off, and in fact may never break through, unless the industry redefines how it shares revenues and finds inventive ways to finance the cost of the changeover.

There is no question about the promise digital cinema technology holds. The most obvious advantage is vast cost savings, as electronic transmission replaces mass copying and distribution of 35mm celluloid prints, a process which currently costs the studios over $1 billion each year. Digital projection also offers better picture and sound quality, easier editing and new opportunities for theaters to better utilize their screens.

However, the industry has been reluctant to embrace digital cinema technology. Star Wars Episode II was shot on digital videotape from beginning to end, but at its U.S. opening only 60 screens out of 5,000 will display it in its pure, digital form, while the rest will use traditional film projectors. Fewer than 100 theaters worldwide are equipped with digital cinema projectors, and only 30 feature films have ever been distributed digitally.

The main reason for this slow adoption rate is the cost of converting the nation's 36,000 movie screens to digital projection, which is estimated at $3 to 5 billion. Mike Katz, Senior Vice President at Booz Allen, estimates the payoff on that investment could be three to five years. "Given declining profitability in the theaters and the uncertainty surrounding hard benefits for theater owners versus the studios, it could be difficult to attract the necessary capital," Katz said.

John Frelinghuysen, Vice President at Booz Allen, noted other obstacles to digital technology. "No one's hurrying to change the current system, because it works just fine. Traditional projection equipment is extremely reliable, and there is a plentiful supply of used equipment on the market." In addition, there are concerns about digital piracy and competing technology standards at both studios and theaters, as well as a fear on both parts of a loss of control, he said.

The investment needed to implement digital technology could come from distributors, which include traditional players like Technicolor and new entrants like Qualcomm and Boeing. These companies may emerge as the logical sources of capital and brokers of the deals necessary. "The distributors may be best positioned to break the logjam caused by the economic climate, the financial structure in place and the conflicting interests among the stakeholders. They have the broad relationships and the cash flow to act as catalysts during the transition," said Krishan Bhatia, Booz Allen Senior Associate.

The report outlines other scenarios that Booz Allen says could lead to a breakthrough for digital cinema:

• Studios and theaters redefine the way they currently share revenues to adapt to the economics and dynamics brought about by digital cinema. The increased revenues and cost savings need to be split in a way that helps theaters out of their current slump while providing incremental upside to studios.
• Theaters move beyond their current focus on movies to embrace alternate forms of content and advertising. Currently, only $200 per screen per year is generated in ad revenue in the U.S., compared to $22,000 per screen in Europe. Third parties interested in presenting sports, concerts or other in-theater entertainment could also represent attractive new revenue sources.

"Ultimately, the next level of investment in the technology may only be spurred by a dramatically different type of digital cinema event that captures the public's imagination. Otherwise, expect it to continue to go the way of solar power, high definition TV and electric cars -- great inventions that promise a brighter future but are not quite ready for the mass market," Katz said.  For a copy of the report or more information, please contact Karen Guterl at guterl_karen@bah.com or 212/551-6516.