Dubai honors Bachchan
Bollywood idol to receive lifetime achievement award
11/25/09 2:47pm

Academy Foundation grant to Outfest
$30,000 will go to outreach toward young adults
11/23/09 7:16pm

Venice pays homage to Nicholas Ray
'Can't Go Home' restored print to be screened
11/23/09 8:39am

Santa Barbara hands out Vanguards
Farmiga, Sarsgaard, Tucci, Waltz honored
11/22/09 2:54pm

‘The Maid’ cleans up at Huelva festival
Chilean pic wins feature, director and actress at fest
11/22/09 2:44pm

Thessaloniki Fest honors 'Ajami'
Israeli film nabs Golden Alexander for best pic
11/22/09 2:38pm

Tallinn slates indie pics
North American fare headed to Estonian fest
11/22/09 2:02pm

Cannes comes to Argentina
Fest brings European Film Week in Buenos Aires
11/22/09 1:40pm

Turin kisses 'Mouth'
Marcello's story of gay love wins at festival
11/22/09 1:30pm

'Pasqua' nabs prize at Thessaloniki
Pic gets $15,000 at Thessaloniki’s co-production forum
11/19/09 1:22pm

Next >>
Trio signs on for 'Nutcracker'
Konchalovsky will direct ballet adaptation

Elle Fanning
Fanning
Nathan Lane
Lane
John Turturro
Turturro

John Turturro, Nathan Lane and Elle Fanning are set to star in a $65 million fantasy musical inspired by Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker," to be directed by Russian helmer Andrei Konchalovsky.

Titled "Nutcracker -- The Untold Story," the movie is based on the fairy story that inspired the ballet. Tim Rice is contributing lyrics to eight new songs using Tchaikovsky's scores, from "The Nutcracker" itself and from his concertos and symphonies.

Konchalovsky has written the screenplay with Chris Solimine. Lane gifts the Nutcracker doll to Fanning in 1920s Vienna and Turturro plays the evil Mouse King. Kevin Phipps, art director of "Troy" and "V for Vendetta," is supervising the visuals and the sets.

The movie starts shooting July 16 at Stern Film Studios in Budapest. Producer is Paul Lowin, with Moritz Borman acting as exec producer.

The production is being financed by private equity plus Hungary's tax incentives. The producers are waiting until shooting is underway before starting to negotiate distribution agreements.

"I have been trying to make this film for a very long time, and now that CGI and technical wizardry have come so far, I can finally realize my dream," Konchalovsky said.

"It's very difficult to show a film like this to distributors at screenplay stage, because there is so much CGI and animatronics, so we decided to raise the money from a consortium of private investors," Borman said.

Deal was packaged by David Bugliari, Bart Walker and Tony Lipp of CAA.

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