By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
Fight Over Summer 1999
IT’S WWIII FOR ME: After Disney’s $2.6 million Super Bowl ad for Armegeddon, the reaction seemed universal. “Why are they making another meteor movie?!” Here’s the next trend to be done to death. Fox is developing a Wired magazine story on cyber-terrorists as an apocalyptic thriller called WW3.com. They haven’t even hired a screenwriter for the project, yet it’s being touted as the studio’s tent pole movie for July 4, 1999. But what about Star Wars, which is set for Memorial Day Weekend, 1999 and is expected to be under the Fox banner? Fox execs may be underestimating The Force. Meanwhile, Sony bought a spec script called, simply, World War III, four months ago with an eye toward– when else? — summer 1999. In political terms, this is called Mutual Assured Destruction.
DGA IN PLAY: This year’s nominees for the Directors Guild Awards for 1997 have been announced. Don’t expect any surprises here. It’s James Cameron or L.A. Confidential’s Curtis Hanson. If Hanson wins, every Oscar category is up for grabs. If Cameron wins, Titanic takes Best Picture and Best Director for sure. Clip & Save.
WHOSE COMIC IS IT ANYWAY: DGA nominee Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) is in the writing phase of his next project with Robin Williams. He Won’t Get Far is the true story of John Callahan, a hugely successful cartoonist and quadriplegic. Can you imagine what will happen when the hyperactive Williams plays a role requiring complete restraint? I can. Handicap + Superstar = Oscar!
FALSE HOPE: So, you want to sell your screenplay? I shouldn’t be telling you about this, but Adam Herz, a 25-year-old on his way out of town just sold his script for $750,000. I look forward to meeting you when you try to duplicate his feat. But let’s save a little time. Medium rare. Fries. A Diet Coke.
READER OF THE DAY: Krillian writes: “With 55 million girls in the U.S. aged 16 or younger and an average ticket price of $5.00 that means 2.2 million tickets were sold (about 4 percent of all young girls). Add mothers taking the wee lasses and teen boys thinking it’d be a good place to pick up on jailbait chicks and there you have the reason for the ubiquitous success of the Spice movie.”