Moore
Holmes
Alcon Entertainment has conceded the title of "First Daughter" to New Regency. However, Alcon will still be first in the competition to make a movie about a world leader's newly liberated offspring.
With Alcon's untitled Mandy Moore project skedded to begin production May 25 in London for a 10-week shoot, the cast will be rounded out with Anabella Sciorra, Jeremy Piven and Mark Harmon as the president of the United States.
New Regency's "First Daughter," which stars Katie Holmes, is slated to begin shooting a week later in Los Angeles.
The projects -- which, at one point, were both titled "First Daughter" -- are angling for an early 2004 release. Alcon's pic will go through Warner Bros. Pictures, New Regency's via 20th Century Fox.
Budgeted at $23 million, the Alcon movie will follow Moore as the frustrated daughter of the American president, eager to kick over the traces on her first trip to Europe.
Sciorra and Piven play Secret Service agents assigned to keep the energetic teen on track.
"Warners is really excited about the project," said Alcon principal Broderick Johnson. "They had a big success with Mandy last year in 'A Walk to Remember.' Getting her gave us the confidence to move forward while there was a competing project in development."
The Alcon script was developed deep inhouse: It came from a treatment by Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman, who were then assistants at the production company. Randi Singer ("Mrs. Doubtfire") and Kari Lizer ("Will and Grace") later did rewrites.
Producing with Alcon co-prexys Johnson and Andrew Kosove is David Parfitt ("Shakespeare In Love").
Contact Dana Harris at
dana.harris@variety.com