Players

By VARIETY STAFF

Penelope Ann Miller will take on the role of scandalous schoolteacher Mary Kay LeTourneau in the USA original movie "All-American Girl" for director Lloyd Kramer. Sonny Grosso and Larry Jacobson will exec produce through their company, Grosso-Jacobson Communications.

Production will begin this month in Toronto on the pic, based on the true story of the 35-year-old former Seattle teacher who made headlines when she was arrested and later convicted for having an affair -- and two children -- with one of her underage students.

Miller appeared in recent Showtime boxing biopic "Rocky Marciano" and 1997's award-winning vidpic "Mario Puzo's the Last Don." Feature credits include "Carlito's Way," "Chaplin" and "The Freshman."

Kramer's directing credits include ABC's "Before Women Had Wings" and "David & Lisa."

Miller is repped by UTA, Jo An Kincaid at Gilbertson-Kincaid Management and attorney Kevin Kelley.

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Jenny McCarthy has joined the cast of the Dimension horror spoof "Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween." The cast of the Keenen Ivory Wayans-helmed ensemble comedy includes Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Cheri Oteri, John Abrahams and Lachlan Monroe. Pic will be produced by Eric Gold, co-produced by Lisa Blum and exec produced by Brad Grey, Bo Zenga and Peter Safrin.

McCarthy, a former Playboy Playmate, co-host of "Singled Out" and her own self-named TV show, is repped by Nick Styne at ICM, managed by Jill Liptman at More Medavoy Entertainment and lawyered by Lindsey Strasberg at Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Dimer & Klein. Deal was brokered by Dimension senior veep Andrew Gumpert and Denise Doyale, director of talent and creative affairs for the Miramax genre arm.

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Leo Rossi has joined the cast of USA Films' "One Night at McCool's" starring Michael Douglas, Liv Tyler and Matt Dillon.

Produced through Douglas' Furthur Films and directed by Harold Zwart, "McCool's" is a dark tale of a woman's influence and power over the different men in her life. Rossi will play the owner of McCool's bar.

Rossi last appeared in WB's "Analyze This" and recently finished shooting the CBS pilot "Falcone." He is repped by Jeffrey Leavitt of the Richard Sindell Agency.

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Jon Huertas is joining the cast of the teen skein "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" as a series regular this fall.

Huertas will play the new best friend of Harvey (Nate Richert) and Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) in the ABC series. Huertas currently stars in MTV/Roland Jaffe's "Undressed." The young thesp will also star alongside Ernie Hudson and Ice-T in the HBO action pic "Stealth Fighter" set to air this fall, and has just wrapped Woody Allen's latest project, "Picking Up the Pieces." He was last seen in Warner Bros.' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love."

Huertas is repped by Vincent Cirrincione at Cirrincione Associates.

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Catherine Sutherland will join the cast of New Line's medical drama "The Cell," starring Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio. Pic concerns a scientist (Lopez) who delves into the mind of a comatose serial killer to determine the whereabouts of his latest victim. "Cell" will be directed by musicvid and commercial helmer Tarsem.

Sutherland, an Aussie transplant, was an original member of the "Power Rangers" series and appeared in this year's HBO telepic "The Jack Bull" starring John Cusack and John Goodman.

She was repped on her deal by Richard Sindell, of the Richard Sindell Agency, and Sarabeth Schedeen Management.

-- Vanessa Torres