Stipe goes 'Psychotic'; Diesel's motor running
|
Single Cell, the production partnership between R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe and Sandy Stern, is turning up its volume of film production, making a movie deal for Douglas Coupland's upcoming novel, "All Families Are Psychotic" and prepping an MTV sitcom about the world of a Stipe-like rock star.
To be published in September by Bloomsbury Press, the Cape Canaveral-set "All Families Are Psychotic" chronicles a family get-together the weekend before the first female astronaut is launched into space. "She might be the most grounded family member, when she is about to fly off into space," said Stipe. "This is a very real story that turns into a fairy tale." Coupland's books have been magnets for movies, with "Generation X," "Shampoo Planet" and "Micoserfs" all under option. Stern said Single Cell will seek to enlist a young writer-director who embraces Coupland's take.
Stipe and Stern are further along with the MTV project, with a Gustin Nash-scripted pilot script about to be delivered, based on Stern's simple idea. "It was based on my life with Michael, transposed into being the story of a young 22-year-old rock star whose best friend is a young A&R girl and together they navigate the New York music scene and their personal lives," said Stern. Stipe said he didn't see it as his life story, as he keeps a comfy distance from both the music and movie businesses by living in Atlanta.
After making a splash with "Being John Malkovich," Stipe and Stern have moved carefully to assemble projects they believe in, turning down many because Stipe's as exacting with movie quality as he is with his music.
Stipe and Stern's other projects include "The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint," a Brady Udall script which Stipe said "portrays a child's life from a more realistic point of view than most films." The script is out to directors. They've got a deal on "Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star," a Maryanne Melloan-scripted adaptation of a book for Showtime about a teen asked to eulogize his dead mother, a rock icon.
They are out to cast on "Saved," a black comedy to be directed by Brian Dannelly about a girl who finds her pregnancy makes her an outcast at a Baptist high school. Pic was scripted by Dannelly and Michael Urban. "It's like those monster vampire high school kind of movies, only here the monsters are Jesus-freak teenagers," said Stipe.Another high priority project is "Blonde," written and to be directed by Everett Lewis that, Stern said, "takes the Bonnie and Clyde story and shows another side of them, the one that was into kinky sex." Peter Sarsgaard is attached to play Clyde, with Robert Shulevitz producing with the Single Cell duo. Lit managers Michael Siegel and Priscilla Cohen brokered the deal in conjunction with Janklow-Nesbit's Eric Simonoff.
DIESEL FUELS SALARY TALK: Hit pics often make millionaires of minimum wage actors. The most talked about pending price hike right now is the quote of "Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel, the gruff-voiced star of "Boiler Room," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Pitch Black." But $10 million this soon? That's the number being buzzed about, and one that apparently got Revolution to look at actors like Ewan McGregor for its much-coveted action pic "XXX." Diesel has inflated sequel paydays looming for "Pitch Black" and "The Fast and the Furious," but the betting is his price will land at $5 million or slightly above, not bad considering he got $2.5 million for his next pic, "Diablo." Diesel's respectable ascension won't come near history's highest hikes. Those records are held by Chris Tucker -- $3 million for "Rush Hour" to $20 million for its sequel -- and Leonardo DiCaprio -- low-seven figures in "Titanic" to $20 million for "The Beach."
SO GREAT: Alexander the Great, the general who led armies to world dominance by age 24, now has a trifecta of films in the works. "Usual Suspects" scribe Christopher McQuarrie will direct a pic he wrote for the Canton Co., while Dino De Laurentiis has recently hired Ted Tally to adapt a trio of historical novels by Valerio Manfredi. A third's in the works with producer Gene Kirkwood, who just wrapped a redo of the Orson Welles pic "The Magnificent Ambersons" for A&E. While the others have Gladiator-sized aspirations, Kirkwood's pic will cost $15 million, money already raised by financing partner George Hasiotis from Greek investors and ship builders. Kirkwood's producing with Millie Toy and Norman Toy Jr., the latter of whom is the playwright who penned the script. Kirkwood indicated much of Alex's conquering will be done in the bedroom, calling the Greece-based pic a marriage between "Last Tango in Paris" and "The English Patient." Said Kirkwood: "This was a kid in his early 20s who loved his sex. The sensuality is the key and as for the battles, well, there was just one big fight in 'Rocky,' but it was memorable," said Kirkwood, who was a producer on that pic.
DISHINGS: Despite not getting new deals, "West Wing" castmembers Allison Janney, John Spencer, Richard Schiff and Brad Whitford averted a breach of contract stalemate by showing up for work Monday while talks continue. The cast was all hugs and handshakes, at least for now ... Gotham was buzzing about readings of Francis Ford Coppola's long-awaited script "Megalopolis," which had rumored reading participants that included Parker Posey and Warren Beatty, among others. Coppola's pic's described as reminiscent of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead," about a popular Gotham mayor at odds with a real estate magnate who plans to use an innovative low-cost plastic compound to build the title structure. It's believed Coppola wrote the role of the mayor for Beatty.
