Mamet, Pacino to 'Hyde'; Iscove's 'All That'

Arnon Milchan's New Regency is near deals for David Mamet to adapt "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as a vehicle for Al Pacino, with Harold Becker directing. The film will be produced by Art Linson.

Mamet will adapt the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, and Becker's William Morris agent John Burnham is finalizing his deal to shape the vehicle for Pacino. It's touted that the pic will stick much closer to the novel than the numerous movies that have been adapted from it. New Regency, which is still in negotiations, hasn't assigned it to a studio. The film begins a deal with Fox in June and the film could end up there.

Pacino's participation is contingent on how the script turns out, but the actor has shown examples of the dual personas in just the last year: an understated mobster in "Donnie Brasco" that was offset by his over-the-top Lucifer turn in "Devil's Advocate."

Both writer and director know Pacino well. Many feel Pacino's best performance came onstage with Mamet's "American Buffalo," and he was Oscar-nominated for the pic version of the writer's "Glengarry Glen Ross." Becker has directed Pacino in "Sea of Love" and "City Hall"; Linson produced the Pacino-starrer "Heat" with Michael Mann and New Regency, and Linson produced the Mamet-scripted "The Untouchables" and "The Edge."

Becker has not fixed on his next project after wrapping "Mercury Rising," the Bruce Willis-Alec Bald-win film for Imagine and Universal, which will be released April 3.

"Jekyll and Hyde" looms large on the horizon for the helmer. Mamet, who with Hilary Henkin got an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination for "Wag the Dog," has started writing. Pacino first will join Russell Crowe in the Mann-directed project about tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand for Touchstone Pictures.

CHICAGO' HELMER SWITCH: How exactly did "The Crucible" director Nicholas Hytner suddenly become the director of Miramax's long-in-development adaptation of the musical "Chicago" when Rob Iscove had that job all sewn up (Daily Variety, Nov. 25, 1997)? It was Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein making the best of an awkward situation.

Dish hears that Larry Gelbart, who wrote the script that has gotten interest from the likes of Madonna, Goldie Hawn and Rosie O'Donnell, was caught unawares by the hiring of Iscove, director of the ratings hit "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella." Gelbart had already gotten interest from Hytner.

A compromise was reached. Iscove has come away with a two-picture deal, and instead of a project that will remain in development for some time, he now is presiding over a go movie: He'll direct "She's All That," which starts shooting in April.

NEW MUPPET PITCH: Henson Prods. has bought a pitch for a Muppets movie that David Stern will write, with Stephen Schwartz composing music. The idea is for the Muppets to be living the high Hollywood life, until Kermit realizes they've lost their purpose in this greedy world. They head back to the swamps.

Stern just wrote "Geppetto" for "Wonderful World of Disney," with songs by Schwartz, who wrote lyrics for Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and won an Oscar for his "Pocahontas" lyrics.

Schwartz is reworking "Hunchback" for a Disney Broadway stage offering and doing an animated "Pippin" at Fox Family. Henson's Christine Belson and Tim Gray brought the project in, with Corner of the Sky's Dave Phillips and Endeavor sealing the deals.

BOOK BIND: After two book deals last weekend brought in a combined $3 million, it's clear studios are in a bookish mode. So what's the value of a book like "A Beautiful Mind," a property being pursued by just about every studio and by A-list helmers like Steven Spielberg and Martin Brest? The infuriating answer for all of them has been -- nothing, because its subject wants nothing to do with the movie sale.

The Sylvia Nasar book is the true story of John Forbes Nash Jr., a devastatingly handsome genius who emerged as one of the country's great thinkers until halted by paranoid schizophrenia, a condition that made him withdraw from academia and his loved ones. After a long ordeal, Nash has recovered, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for work he did 40 years earlier.

Despite the book being a potential cross between "Shine" and "Good Will Hunting" with an Oscar-caliber leading man role, Nash has so far resisted all overtures. CAA's Robert Bookman, who's repping the book, won't entertain bids until that changes.

Bookman's adeptly handled similarly sensitive sales in the past. He put together a DreamWorks deal with "Shine" director Scott Hicks and "Rain Man" co-scribe Ron Bass for "Diving Bell and Butterfly," the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of Elle who had a stroke that left him paralyzed except for his eyelids.

TAYLOR-MADE RETURN?: Hallmark's getting close with the vehicle that likely will mark Elizabeth Taylor's long-awaited acting return. John Fasano's scripted adaptation of the Friedrich Durrenmatt play "The Visit" has Taylor ready to star and Arthur Penn poised to direct her. It's the story of a millionairess offering a fortune to her hometown, if someone will kill her ex-lover. Taylor decided to return with a TV project and Hallmark is in the throes of setting up at a network to shoot this year, Dish hears.

DISHINGS: Ace film restorers Jim Katz and Bob Harris took a break from "Rear Window" to indulge in some factual restoration. Taking issue with Dish's proclamation that "Eyes Wide Shut" was modern history's longest shoot, they claimed that "Lawrence of Arabia" still holds the record. The duo said "Lawrence" shot May 15, 1961, to Oct. 6, 1962 -- 17 months with a six-week break. That's a bit longer than the 15-month "Eyes" shoot with an eight-week break. Harris worked on the restoration of "Lawrence," a process that took longer than the original shoot. That pleased director David Lean to no end, Harris said ...

The Jonathan Kaufer film "Bad Manners," which has compiled a string of strong reviews on the festival circuit, is being aggressively shopped for distribution this week ... Comedians are getting behind Hollygrove, a home for abused, battered and orphaned children. Dennis Miller, Jay Leno, Dana Carvey, Bill Maher and Howie Mandel will topline the Comedy & Magic Club from March 23-April 2, with all proceeds to go to the home. The campaign is being orchestrated by Brillstein-Grey manager Marc Gurvitz.