H'wood Pix pacts pair

By VARIETY STAFF

NEW YORK --- In his first production alliance since taking the helm of the resuscitated Hollywood Pictures banner, David Vogel has signed an exclusive deal with scribe-turned-director Mark Steven Johnson and Gary Foster, the producer of such films as "Tin Cup" and "Sleepless in Seattle."

Johnson and Foster have formed Horseshoe Bay Prods., which will produce at least two films per year for either Vogel's Hollywood or Walt Disney banners.

Johnson's star has been rising since 1992, when he hung up a secretarial job at Orion after selling his script "Grumpy Old Men." Since then, his films include the sequel to that Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau starrer, the upcoming Sam Raimi-directed WB film "Jack Frost," in which Billy Bob Thornton is in talks to star. Johnson will also make his directing debut on "A Small Miracle" for Vogel. Johnson wrote the script, inspired by the John Irving novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany."

Helping Hollywood

Foster, the veteran producer whose films include "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Tin Cup," has ankled Eagle Point Prods., his producing partnership with Lee Rich at Mandalay. While he'll continue to shepherd projects he developed there, such as the Sidney Lumet-directed remake of "Gloria" with Sharon Stone, Foster's main priority will be helping Vogel get Hollywood Pictures back up to speed.

Horseshoe Bay starts with a potentially high-profile project. "Titanic Thompson" is a fact-based film about a larger-than-life con-man and gambler, which Johnson and Foster expect to set up with Vogel shortly. It will be written by Ron Shelton and John Norville, who worked with Foster on "Tin Cup." Foster and Johnson will produce with Shelton and CBS golf analyst Gary McCord, the golf adviser on "Tin Cup" who came up with the idea.

Horseshoe Bay will also produce a project set up at Touchstone. "Love on Trial," which Tom Sierchio is writing, is based on Johnson's idea of what happens when a man about to get married is selected to serve on a jury that's sequestered, and falls in love with another juror.

Stirring the drink

Those two projects are indicative of the mix Vogel said he hoped to achieve.

"The hope is that in terms of writing, Mark will be able to turn some attention to Disney movies, whether consulting or rewriting, and possibly directing, and that Gary's relationships can help me provide one to two of those four movies a year for Hollywood," said Vogel, who just got Johnson to do a three-week rewrite on "My Favorite Martian."

"I've been interested in Mark since Disney gave him his very first writing assignment, and there's hardly a movie Gary has put together that I wouldn't have been thrilled to have at either Hollywood or Disney," said Vogel.

By the bay

Johnson and Foster first worked together and became friends on "Big Bully," and drew the name of their new shingle from a picturesque bay near the Vancouver location of that film. Foster said that after they finally decided to join forces, Vogel had just learned he'd have the ability to make adult fare at Hollywood Pictures.

Josie Rosen, who had been president at Eagle Point, assumes that title at Horseshoe Bay. Lisa Libatique will be development director, and Amberwren Briskey-Cohen and Chris Adams round out the staff. The deal was put together by Johnson's William Morris agent Alan Gasmer and attorneys Barry Hirsch and John Laviolette.