Next 'Ocean's' makes waves

Sea change for Weintraub

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Guralnick

Jerry Weintraub has brought former Warner Bros. exec Rob Guralnick back to the lot as his producing partner and president of WB-based Jerry Weintraub Prods.

Move comes as Weintraub gets a script by Brian Koppelman and David Levien for "Ocean's Thirteen."

Weintraub is in the early stages of plotting a third chapter of the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with director Steven Soderbergh and his Section Eight partner George Clooney. Aim is to put the pic in production later this year.

Shingle is also prepping a Jan. 31 production start on the Andy Fleming-directed "Nancy Drew."

Guralnick takes over running JWP from prexy Mark Vahradian, who has ankled his post.

Weintraub said he hoped to increase his output by tapping Guralnick. He and Guralnick will also reactivate numerous projects hatched under Guralnick's WB watch that have stalled in development.

Most prominent among them is "Pretty Boy Floyd," a drama about the outlaw folk hero that was written years ago by "Brokeback Mountain" scribes Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. The writers expanded their original script into a novel years ago, and Weintraub courted them to return and do further work on the project.

"Rob is an old friend who worked with me on many projects over a lot of years at Warners," Weintraub said. "He's extremely capable and well liked at the studio."

Among the other Weintraub projects Guralnick hopes to revive is the Bo Goldman-scripted "The Colonel and Me," based on Weintraub's experience being mentored by Col. Tom Parker after the manager selected the young Weintraub to promote Elvis Presley's concerts.

Guralnick spent 15 years at WB, rising to exec veep. After supervising "Scooby-Doo," he joined that pic's producer, Chuck Roven, at Mosaic Media Group. There, they produced "Idlewild," the Bryan Barber-directed period musical that stars OutKast duo Antwan Patton (Big Boi) and Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000). Pic was originally meant for an HBO airing, but worldwide rights were acquired by Universal and a theatrical run begins in early March.