Risher bows femme banner at New Line

ChickFlicks to focus on 'character-driven pieces'

By CHARLES LYONS

Twenty-five year vet New Line exec Sara Risher has christened a new inhouse production label, ChickFlicks, which will aim its pics squarely at women.

"The new label will concentrate on stories that are close to my heart, character-driven pieces that appeal to the female market, which continues to prove itself large and lucrative," said Risher.

Instead of making movies for men that women will also see, "I want to make commercial films for women that men will also go to," she added.

For the past five years, Risher has served as chairman of New Line Prods. She played a pivotal role in building New Line with films such as the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series and the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise.

"Sara continues to be an inspiration to all of us at the company, and I'm delighted to support her new endeavor," said New Line prexy and chief operating officer Michael De Luca. "Besides, if she didn't hire me 13 years ago, I'd probably be delivering pizza somewhere."

Among the projects Risher is developing at New Line are the pic version of "My Three Sons," produced by and possibly starring Michael Douglas, with a script by David Diamond and David Weissman; "Mimzy," a science-fiction story being written by Bruce Joel Rubin and produced by Michael Phillips; and "Silent Witness," a thriller based on the bestselling Richard North Patterson novel of the same name, which will be adapted for the screen by Academy Award-winning writer Christopher Hampton and produced by Lester Persky.

Also on ChickFlicks' slate is "The Wishbones," to be adapted by Tom Perrotta (co-writer of "Election"); "Valley Song," based on the Athol Fugard play; and "Love Hurts," written by David Chaskin.