Working Title duo to stay
U may slate 'Bridget,' 'Captain'
The long-awaited arrangement, due to be announced today, is understood to guarantee them the same creative autonomy they enjoyed under Polygram Filmed Entertainment, as well as richer personal terms.
It will enable Bevan and Fellner to greenlight the same kind of risky medium-budget fare, such as the $25 million "Elizabeth" and the $18 million "Bean," that they previously persuaded PFE to bankroll.
The first projects likely to be financed by Universal are "Bridget Jones' Diary," an adaptation of Helen Fielding's bestseller about being a single female over 30, and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," to be directed by Roger Michell, from Louis de Bernieres' romantic novel set in Greece during World War II.
Bevan and Fellner will also be asking U to greenlight "Thunderbirds," a blockbuster live-action version of the cult TV series.
Concern over Hollywood
Bevan, who was not available for comment Thursday, previously has said that if Working Title had been owned by a Hollywood studio for the past five years, the company would only have managed to make "French Kiss" and "Notting Hill," both mainstream projects costing more than $40 million. Instead the company has produced a stream of low-budget hits, including "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Fargo" and "Dead Man Walking."
One of Bevan and Fellner's highest priorities during their months of negotiation with Universal was to secure the right to continue making quirky British and American films at lower budget levels.
The duo's old contracts with PFE were due to expire in June, but last year's takeover of PFE by Universal raised questions about whether Bevan and Fellner would renew their deal or seek better terms elsewhere.
They had been heavily courted by other studios but in the end were unwilling to leave behind their company and its slate of upcoming projects, all now owned by U.
PFE Intl. to distrib
Working Title's films will be distributed internationally by PFE Intl., soon to be rebranded with a Universal label. Domestically, the company's big-budget films will go through U, but given the uncertainty over the future ownership of both October and Gramercy Films, the fate of Working Title's smaller films remains undecided.
Meanwhile, Working Title is already in the midst of preparing Stephen Frears' adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel "High Fidelity," starring John Cusack, for Disney. Disney and Universal have also agreed on a split-rights deal for the next Coen brothers movie, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou," starring George Clooney, which Working Title will produce.
