Showtime pic an act of 'War'

Telefilm to star Hurt, Ormond, Redgrave

By PAULA BERNSTEIN

Showtime has greenlit production on the telepic “Varian’s War: A Forgotten Hero,” exec produced by Barbra Streisand. Script concerns Varian Fry, who rescued artists from Nazi persecution during WWII.

William Hurt will play the lead character, who is credited with rescuing more than 2,000 people. Julia Ormond, Matt Craven, Alan Arkin and Lynn Redgrave will also appear in the tentatively titled telefilm, which has been in development since April 1997.

Along with Streisand and her producing partner, Cis Corman of Barwood Films, Edward Wessex of Ardent Prods. will exec produce.

Lionel Chetwynd (“P.T. Barnum,” “Kissinger and Nixon”) will direct from his own script.