Mendes' Scamp banner announces slate

Shingle chalks up seven pix for prod'n

By ARCHIE THOMAS

Mendes

LONDON -- Helmer Sam Mendes' production company Scamp released its first slate Thursday, almost a year after it was set up, but the "American Beauty" helmer remains tight-lipped about which of the film and theater projects he plans to direct.

The official line from co-director Pippa Harris is simple: "Which picture Sam decides to direct himself depends on how the scripts develop."

London-based Scamp has a two-year first-look production deal at DreamWorks, and was formed when Mendes' previous company, Donmar Films, ended its production deal at the studio last year.

Mendes established Scamp last April with long-term Donmar exec Caro Newling and Harris. The latter was previously head of drama commissioning at the BBC after senior development posts at Carlton TV and Channel 4.

The name Scamp is an amalgamation of Sam (as in Mendes), C for Caro (Newling), and P for Pippa (Harris).

DreamWorks is already involved in four of the seven pics on Scamp's slate.

Mendes has pledged to exec produce all of Scamp's film and theater productions that he does not direct.

The slate includes Scamp/Wonderful co-prod "The Kite Runner," set in Afghanistan, about the bond that develops between a privileged youth and the son of his father's servant, around a unifying love of kite flying. Brit TV scribe Paul Abbott (BBC America's upcoming "State of Play") was bought in by Harris to work on the script. DreamWorks has snapped up screen rights.

Other pics in development include John Logan's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's stage musical "Sweeney Todd" with DreamWorks (Daily Variety, July 17); the Tim Firth penned "Tom Fool," a period thriller about the escapades of a 17th-century court jester, which is a Scamp/Working Title co-prod; and "Lifestory," a production for BBC Films based on William Nicholson's docudrama about the race to identify the structure of DNA. David Yates directs "Lifestory," so that's one Mendes will not helm.

Mendes bowed out at London's Donmar Warehouse theater on Nov. 30, 2002, after a hugely successful 10-year stint as artistic director. During that time he directed "American Beauty," for which he won an Oscar, and "Road to Perdition."

Since then Mendes has been repped in the theater by the current Broadway revival of "Gypsy," which has just been reprieved from closure at the end of the month.

(Nicole LaPorte in Hollywood contributed to this report.)