Normally, I don’t care about upcoming projects and leave that to the trades. But a Peter Jackson writing/directing project is an event. Sources tell me that today certain Hollywood studios were given the big PJ spec script with Mr. Lord Of the Rings himself attached to helm. It’s an adaptation of The Lovely Bones, the bestseller penned by Alice Sebold. “It went out today to almost everybody and the offers are across the board,” a source tells me. “That’s because there was a cover letter laying out basics like approximate budget, start of photography, etc. It simply wants the studios to make a proposal with no ask. It also wants them as part of the proposal to make a recommendation about release date and inform what competitive titles they’ll have during the quarter of the release date they suggest.” If this sounds very unusual, it is. Because I’m told Jackson wanted the marketplace to determine what the deal should be. Imagine if this started a trend in Hollywood. Who didn’t get a shot at the project? New Line’s Bob Shaye since he’s still being a jerk to Jackson and won’t let him direct The Hobbit. (See my Peter Jackson Answers Lord Of The Rants.) Jackson had acquired the option to The Lovely Bones from UK’s Film Four in February 2004 with the intent to write the screenplay on spec with his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Since Jackson opted not to have a big overall studio deal, he can now seek the right home for each of his projects. I can report that the response is overwhelming to the very stylized and very dark drama that’s literally haunting: it’s about a ghost. As good as the script is, the final deal for The Lovely Bones, with terms and all, will surely be as big as Jackson’s King Kong-sized talent.
UPDATE: Studios To Fight Over Unusual Peter Jackson Pic Deal (But Not New Line)
Summer Movie Season’s Magic #? $4.5 Bil
To movie industry heathens like you and me, we’ll always remember where we were when Mel Gibson made his drunken anti-Semitic tirade, when Tom Cruise got fired by old coot Sumner Redstone, and when the 2007 Summer Movie Season made $4.5 billion. … Read More »
Ovitz Didn’t Show For Kurtzman Send-Off
Given everyone’s horrible behavior in Hollywood, it’s rare to find something that scandalizes its denizens who’ve seen it all. But Michael Ovitz managed to do just that last week when he failed to show for longtime CAA colleague Ray Kurtzman’s funeral. Ray, one of the most respected guys in showbiz, died of complications from Alzheimer’s … Read More »
Last Word (Hopefully) On Alec Baldwin
I can clear up all the rumors: I’m told definitively that Alec Baldwin left CAA only because he didn’t want to be at the same Hollywood agency as his ex, Kim Basinger.
Sony Acting Extra-Sneaky With ‘Spidey 3′
In major cities around the country, Sony has quietly added lots of Thursday midnight showings of Spider-Man 3. Most of the sneaks start at 12:01 AM — so technically that’s Friday, which is the official day Spidey … Read More »
Lionsgate Is Still Releasing College Coed Killing Pic Despite Virginia Tech Tragedy
Obviously, Lionsgate has yet to find a horror flick too sick or twisted to sell. I’m told the indie studio is still going ahead with plans to release its bloodfest film about the torture and killings of college coeds on a trip to Europe … Read More »
Trump & Schwarzenegger Tit For TV Twat
Obviously, Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger think we just fell off the turnip truck and are gullible as hell. Political campaign watchdogs are up in arms over the fact that The Donald just gave $10,000 to The Arnold to help pay off $2.3 million in campaign debts left over … Read More »
Is The Reality Of ‘CSI’ Really Unrealistic?
The CBS’ Nielsen-topping series CSI and its NYC and Miami spin-offs are having a profound effect on juries, trials and law enforcement. But is hair and fibre analysis actually passé in crime-fighting? That’s the basis for Jeffrey Toobin’s … Read More »
Again! Shia #1; Nic Cage’s ‘Next’ Stinker; Box Office -25% Awaiting ‘Spider-Man 3′
SUNDAY AM: So Nicolas Cage is back to making bomb after bomb after bomb, with his Revolution / Paramount pic Next unable to open better than 4th place, behind a three-week-old teen/tween movie and a suspense film starring nobodies. With a paltry per screen average at 2,725 theaters, it was hard pressed to even make $7 mil this weekend. Clearly the only reason anyone went to see Cage’s Ghost Rider was because of the connection to the Marvel comic book. Other than that, he hasn’t starred in a movie that’s made money since 2004′s National Treasure, whose sequel comes out this Christmas. Really, Cage needs to take a long, hard look at his failed career; appearing in badly revewed pics like this is a price quote killer. (Same advice to director Lee Tamahori, who directed standout Mulholland Falls, after all. Ditto producer Joe Roth, responsible for yet another failure.) That said, DreamWorks’ Disturbia saved the day for Paramount, taking in $9 million from 3,047 theaters for its third No. 1 placement in a row and a new cume of $52 mil. (See my Paramount/DreamWorks Deal Looks Better With 20/20 Hindsight) Disney / Buena Vista’s newcomer The Invisible was No. 2, making $7.8 mil from 2,019 venues for Friday-Saturday-Sunday. New Line’s Fracture finished #3 with its Anthony Hopkins / Ryan Gosling cast, eking out $7 mil from 2,443 playdates for the weekend with a new cume of only $21.3 mil. The rest of the box office was stillborn: it’s almost cruel to list the earnings of the Top 10. Read More »
Frank, Not Warren, Will Play Tricky Dick
I’m told Frank Langella, who’s so brilliant as Tricky Dick in Peter Morgan’s Frost/Nixon play, is going to snag the movie version as well. This means Warren Beatty won’t be playing the role of the disgraced President interviewed by David Frost. (I already knocked down the … Read More »
This Weekend’s Prediction: ‘Next’ No. 1?
Think of it as the quiet before the storm: Expect a lackluster movie weekend before the sizzling Summer Movie Season officially kicks off the following Friday with Spider-Man 3. With no significant competition, Paramount’s Next with Nicolas … Read More »
Studio Moguls Mark Jack Valenti’s Passing
Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros., issued this statement about Valenti’s passing: “Today, my heart is truly heavy. I have lost a dear friend and mentor — someone who not only made a mark in history, but also had a profound impact on my life. Jack Valenti was a true leader and gentleman whose wit, fire and passion for our business inspired everyone regardless of politics or opinion, background or belief. Jack’s love for his country and the entertainment industry was only overshadowed by his love for his family and the many charitable organizations to which he was devoted. On behalf of all my colleagues at Warner Bros, our heartfelt condolences are with Mary Margaret, his children, grandchildren and the millions and millions of people who were directly or indirectly touched by Jack.”
Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairmen Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal issued this statement about Valenti’s passing: “Jack Valenti truly was a Renaissance man — a gifted orator, a brilliant political strategist, a visionary business leader. He certainly loved the movies and public service, and reached the pinnacle in both arenas. But most important, he loved life, and lived it to the fullest. Jack was eloquent, indefatigable, passionate and wise. Perhaps a fitting way to describe Jack is to say this man is rated “G” – for Greatness. We will miss him, and our prayers are with his family.” Read More »
Hollywood Lobbyist Jack Valenti Is Dead: Movie Studios Rate Him ‘G’ For Greatness
(Refresh for latest…) Jack Valenti has died after falling into a coma following a series of strokes. The 85-year-old Valenti was the Washington D.C. lobbyist for Hollywood’s movie studios and independent producers from 1966 to 2004 as president of the Motion Picture Association of America, where under his supervision starting in 1968 the movie industry developed the ratings system for films. Because of that, Sony Pictures co-chairmen Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal said today, “Perhaps a fitting way to describe Jack is to say this man is rated “G” – for Greatness.” Read More »
Latest Blow: CAA Loses Video Games Czar
EXCLUSIVE (refresh for latest): I’m told Larry Shapiro, who created and co-headed the Games Division of Creative Artists Agency, has just left, and the Hollywood agency is really, really pissed. “They were profoundly unhappy and made it very uncomfortable for him. You don’t leave the mother ship,” a source explained. Still at CAA is Seamus Blackley, who took the CAA gaming gig in 2003 after the demise of the boutique game funding agency, Capital Entertainment Group, he had co-founded. But I’m told Blackley went to CAA specifically to collaborate with Shapiro. This is the latest blow for the ten-percentery, which in one week has lost actor Alec Baldwin, director Lasse Halstrom and NFL star QB Matt Leinart. It also saw TV bigwig Lee Gabler announce his retirement and let go indie financing agent Kevin Iwashina. (By the way, I’m told Iwashina learned he was fired as he was giving a lecture to a UCLA film class. He answered his cell phone, then told the class he needed to step out for a minute to take the call. He came back a few minutes later and told the students class was cancelled and left. “Another example of a talent agency handling this type of thing with no class,” an insider explains.) Meanwhile, I hear CAA is in the midst not just of negotiating some more high-profile agent exits, but also quietly showing the door to some low-level and newly promoted agents and trainees. Reason? Cost-cutting. Here’s an example… Today, Reality TV agent Bryan Geers was let go by CAA. He’d only been upped from assistant to agent in 2002. Read More »
I Predict The Next Great Hollywood Pitch
It’s today’s first-person Los Angeles Times story: “I am a transsexual sportswriter. It has taken more than 40 years, a million tears and hundreds of hours of soul-wrenching therapy for me to work up the courage … Read More »
Movie Distributors Ban Israeli Film Critics
Here’s Part II regarding my recent posting, Oy Vey! Israeli Film Critics Having Tsuris. Yael Shuv Of Time Out Tel Aviv writes me: ”I’ve read your entry titled “Oy Vey!…” and hope it will have some positive effect. As chief … Read More »
Does NY Times Need New Theater Editor?
Retired New York Times Hollywood correspondent Bernie Weinraub today had his first play, The Accomplices, nominated for a prestigious Drama Desk Award. He was named in the “Outstanding Play” category alongside such theater luminaries as Terrence McNally (Some Men), … Read More »
Why Won’t NBC Let Alec Baldwin Walk?
I find this inexcusable: NBC is on the verge of forcing an actor to perform against his will. It’s not like the pain-in-the-ass Alec Baldwin wants to go off and do movies instead of TV. No, if he is to be taken at his word, Baldwin claims he wants to quit acting and take … Read More »
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