Baldwin, Fonda board 'Thomas'

'Tank Engine' pic based on hit skein

By CHARLES LYONS

Alec Baldwin, Mara Wilson and Peter Fonda are attached to star in the first full-length theatrical film based on the hit television series "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends."

Baldwin, who is starring in and exec producing the TNT original movie "Nuremberg" now shooting in Montreal, will play the magical Mr. Conductor. Peter Fonda will take on the role of Grandpa Burnett Stone, while Mara Wilson ("Matilda") will play the lead role of an 11-year-old girl who leaves the city to visit her grandfather in the countryside.

Destination Films, which is handling distribution in the U.S. and the U.K., has slated "Thomas" for a U.S. release in July 2000. Principal photography begins on the Isle of Man in early August, with additional filming in Pennsylvania and Toronto later in the year. Gullane Pictures will handle distribution throughout the world.