Winter's 'Fever' hits Lions Gate

Pic to bow in fall

By CHARLES LYONS, DANA HARRIS

Lions Gate Releasing has acquired North American distribution rights to writer-director Alex Winter’s "Fever," which stars Henry Thomas, David O'Hara, Teri Hatcher and Bill Duke. A fall release is planned.

Produced by Christian Martin for Sunlight Pictures, "Fever" world preemed in last year’s Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and also screened at the 1999 Toronto film fest.

"Fever" depicts the fear and paranoia of contemporary urban life as seen through the eyes of a struggling painter (Thomas) who lives a solitary existence in a run-down Brooklyn tenement and spirals into a hellish dream world of murder and mayhem.

Winter, an NYU film school grad, is an actor, writer and director. He co-starred with Keanu Reeves in the box office hits "Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure" and "Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey." He also appeared in Joel Schumacher’s "The Lost Boys" and Percy Adlon’s "Rosalie Goes Shopping."

Winter also co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the critically acclaimed film "Freaked" and has directed musicvideos and TV commercials.

Lions Gate Films’ recent acquisitions include Sundance 2000 audience award-winner "Two Family House" as well as Sundance 2000 entries "But I’m a Cheerleader," directed by Jamie Babbit; Valerie Breiman’s "Love & Sex," starring Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau; and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."

Tom Ortenberg and Mark Urman negotiated the "Fever" deal for Lions Gate with Julia Palau of J&M Entertainment and John Sloss of Sloss Law Offices, who repped Winter.