DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 90

Luc Besson’s comedy Western, starring Salma Hayek (right) and Penélope Cruz asfeisty bank robbers now has two Norwegian directors – Joachim Roenning andEspen Sandberg.

Western will be their first film, having previously worked in publicity. Thebudget has been set at $35 million budget and filming begins in Mexico inlate-2004.

DARKWATCH – CURSE OF THE WESTWriter-directors James Wong and Glen Morgan (Final Destination) will writeand direct Darkwatch – Curse Of The West.

The film is based on a video-game that has yet to be released, about asecret organization dedicated to fighting the forces of evil. The movie isset in the Wild West, and focuses on a cowboy/train robber called JerichoCross who is recruited by the organisation to battle a horde of vampires andother supernatural creatures.

DEATH, JR’Variety’ reports that production-management company ‘Circle Of Confusion’and video game development company ‘Backbone Entertainment’ are developingfilm and comic-book versions of Death, Jr., a ‘Backbone’ property beingdeveloped as a video game for Sony’s forthcoming PSP (a portable version ofthe PlayStation 2).

The film will be a directed by Larry Guterman (Son Of The Mask), andrevolved around a teenager who wants to be normal but is the Grim Reaper’schild. Death, Jr.’s school friends include Pandora, who is afflicted by theconstant need to open boxes, and Stigmartha, whose hands bleed when she getsnervous.

The comic and film will be based on the game due out in early-2005, whenSony’s PSP is released.

THE PINK PANTHERThe new Pink Panther movie, starring Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, BeyonceKnowles, Emily Mortimer and Jean Reno, is about to start production. Thefilm is being written by Martin and directed by Shawn Levy (Cheaper By TheDozen), and revolves around a murdered football coach and his pop stargirlfriend (Beyoncé).

Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth will be making her film feature debut in themovie as “French tart” Cheri.

Martin, who has grown a moustache just for the part, was joined by ShawnLevy, producer Robert Simonds and the entire principal cast for a pressconference in New York recently, to announce the start of production on themovie. Shooting begins in New York City before moving to Paris.

Robert Simonds: “It’s not a sequel, prequel or remake. What Steve has doneis taken the essence of the characters and come up with his ownreinterpretation of them. We’re trying to do something that is verycontemporary, fresh and original.”

Shawn Levy: “Part of what makes this interesting is that Steve is bothplaying the role and writing the screenplay, so the whole tone of thisreinvention is distinctively Steve’s.”

“Clouseau is still this absurdist, bumbling character, but now, he’s also atthe mercy of today’s technology and the things that exist in a world todaythat weren’t around thirty or forty years ago. There are a lot of newplaythings for Clouseau to screw up. The sense of humour is very much loyalto the original, but thanks largely to Steve’s writing; it has a level ofwit and very clever, sharp observations about the way the world is now. Withthe idea of Clouseau unknowingly stumbling through that world, it just feelsfresh.” And of course, Clouseau had never been shown in Manhattan before.

Steve Martin: “It’s being said that I’m going to be the Inspector Clouseaufor the 21st Century. It’s not quite that much. I’m just going to edge intoit four or five years and then I’ll be dead.”

Martin had qualms at first, but when he found “his own voice”, he began tofeel more comfortable with the role. Some wondered what Martin thoughtSellers might think of this remake, to which Martin quipped, “I met him onceand he was very nice to me. I think that says it all. He spoke to mecomedian to comedian, and he was very friendly and under a lot of healthpressure at the time, too.”

“I often hear that people are going to remake The Jerk and I have no qualmsabout that.”

Steve Martin on Beyonce Knowles: “I’m so happy for her, since she is helpingopen the doors for young, black, female actresses. I knew that I would bearound all this talent and I’d be able to learn so much, so this is a greatexperience for me.”

“The genesis of the movie is not that interesting, but I ran into Shawn in aparking lot, while I was doing some looping for Cheaper By The Dozen.”

Shawn Levy: “What’s been a treat with this is that we’ve had a process over abunch of months working on the screenplay together. It’s gotten the benefitof us having spent the last year working together, so hopefully, the streakwill continue.”

Levy stated that the Pink Panther theme music written by Henry Mancini wouldbe used in the movie in its original form and in several reinterpretations.Football superstar David Beckham had to drop out of the movie due toscheduling problems, but they would have a replacement – a British actor-announced shortly for the role of the football coach.

Steve Martin: “This movie is like getting ready for a sporting event, likean athlete. I feel like we’re building up for opening night of a show. Whenwe’re rehearsing, we feel the energy building, and I’m starting to havesleepless nights, and it’s a little bit different from any another movie.There’s a real energy of confidence and a feeling of fun.”

The cast also confirmed the absence of Kato, originally played by BurtKwouk, although Jean Reno’s character would essentially be covering similarterritory.

KING CONAN’IGN FilmForce’ revealed that writer-director John Milius would like WWEwrestler Triple H (a.k.a Paul Michael Levesque) to replace ArnoldSchwarzenneger in his proposed sequel to Conan The Barbarian. TIDELANDDirector Terry Gilliam (The Brothers Grimm) will direct Tideland inSeptember, from a script written by Gilliam and Tony Grisoni, adapted from anovel by Mitch Cullin about a girl in Texas who escapes the grim reality ofher life into a world of fantasy.

She is accompanied on her adventures of the imagination by four disembodieddolls’ heads, which will be voiced by well-known actors.

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

• 1. Van Helsing ($51.7m)
• 2. Mean Girls ($13.7m)
• 3. Man on Fire ($8.2m)
• 4. New York Minute ($5.9m)
• 5. 13 Going On 30 ($5.8m)
• 6. Laws of Attraction ($3.6m)
• 7. Kill Bill Vol.2 ($3.0m)
• 8. Godsend ($2.7m)
• 9. Envy ($2.5m)
• 10. Home on the Range ($1.2m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

• 1. Van Helsing (£5.42m)
• 2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (£0.81m)
• 3. Kill Bill Vol.2 (£0.77m)
• 4. Laws of Attraction (£0.43m)
• 5. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (£0.389m)
• 6. Secret Window (£0.386m)
• 7. 50 First Dates (£0.32m)
• 8. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (£0.17m)
• 9. Shaun of the Dead (£0.16m)
• 10. Main Hoon Na (£0.15m)

All dates are U.K release dates, and are subject to change.