Almodovar preps 'Toenails'

By LINDA MOORE

After months of keeping plans under wraps, Pedro Almodovar announced he is ready to roll in mid-April with a tongue-in-cheek thriller, "The Killer's Toenails," with Peter Coyote firmed for the leading male role.

Almodovar, who wrote the story, described it as a black comedy involving "a totally new approach."

It marks the first time the writer-director has expanded beyond Spanish talent to incorporate an American actor into his films.

"The Killer's Toenails," to be shot in Madrid, is the latest in the co-production deal Almodovar's company El Deseo has with French company CIBY 2000. Its budget will be around $ 6 million.

Also toplining is Victoria Abril, who recently made waves in the U.S. with her steamy starring role in Vicente Aranda's "The Lovers" and also played the lead in Almodovar's "High Heels."

Top Spanish comedienne Veronica Forque and Rossi de Palma, the "cubist female face" in "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," round out the cast.