Walt Disney buys 'Nine Lives'

Bruckheimer to produce NYC cop drama

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Hensleigh

In a $1.75 million deal, the Walt Disney Co. has acquired Jonathan Hensleigh action pitch "Nine Lives," with Hensleigh to pen the script. Jerry Bruckheimer will produce through his Disney-based shingle.

Drama revolves around a Manhattan detective called Nine Lives because of the number of shootings he has survived while on duty.

Pic marks Hensleigh's fifth assignment with Bruckheimer after "The Rock," "Armageddon," "Con Air" and "Gone in 60 Seconds."

Like the protag, "Nine Lives" wouldn't die. Hensleigh first sold the project to Disney while he was a Manhattan-based lawyer out in L.A. to interview with George Lucas for a writing job on "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." Disney's Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Hoberman and Donald De Line bought it, but the contract lapsed. He pitched it to Bruckheimer while they were making "The Rock," but both were too busy to deal with it until now.

Hensleigh has been off directing films like "The Punisher" and "Welcome to the Jungle," while Bruckheimer made the family franchise "Pirates of the Caribbean." Both want to return to summer action fare.

The new deal is exponentially richer than the one he made with Katzenberg.