- Tribecca Prods.
- .
- NEW YORK (Variety) - Tribeca Prods., the partnership
between Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, has formalized
a first-look deal at MGM, where it has set
two new projects. The production deal grew
out of a De Niro commitment to topline the
John Frankenheimer ensemble drama "Ronin" at United
Artists. It puts the studio in prime position to get
another De Niro vehicle, as Tribeca has made
an MGM deal to develop "Trick Monkey,"
a film based on the illusionist exploits of up-and-coming
magician David Blaine, with De Niro and his "This
Boy's Life" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio attached. It's a
kind of father-son scenario that's not nearly as dysfunctional
as the one in that earlier film. De Niro would play a magician,
DiCaprio his apprentice. Jim Uhls ("Dead Reckoning")
is scripting. At United Artists, Tribeca set
up "The Maid of Buttermeer," Raymond
Khouri's adaptation of the Melvyn Bragg book
that's a fact-based love story set in early 1800s
England. The title character is essentially
history's first supermodel a woman who works in a tavern and
is so beautiful that men travel from afar just
to glimpse her. A con man falls in love with
her and poses as a gentleman to woo her, with dire consequences
when she figures out who he really is.
- .
- De Niro, Rosenthal, Simon Oakes
and Tribeca production president Brad Epstein
will produce. Book sale was brokered by CAA's Bob Bookman. At the same time, numerous projects Tribeca hatched
before the MGM-UA deal are coming to fruition. With
NBC, Tribeca is near a deal with "NYPD Blue" star
Nicholas Turturro to play Sammy (The Bull) Gravano
in a four-hour miniseries that was written
by Stanley Weiser ("Wall Street")
from John Miller's WNBC news reporting and other
sources. Thaddeus O'Sullivan is directing, with the hope of having the mini on-air for May sweeps. Rosenthal confirmed
they were close to signing Turturro. Despite his youth,
Rosenthal said, "He's got the attitude, and we really
wanted to cast it younger to get a fresher look at
all these guys."
- .
- On the feature side, Tribeca is beginning to
flourish. "When it's cooking, it's cooking,"
said Rosenthal, borrowing the signature line
of Stanley Mott, the producer character in
"Wag the Dog" played by Dustin Hoffman. He concocts a warcampaign with a White House adviser (played
by De Niro) to divert media attention from a presidential
sex scandal.The Tribeca film for New Line which director
Barry Levinson shot in 29 days for $15 million looks
to be Tribeca's first breakout film.Tribeca
also just got New Line to buy the book everyone
wanted (the $2.75 million Nick Hornby novel
"Father Figure") and is pushing forward with Martin Scorsese and Miramax on the film version Rent.
- .
- Tribeca has a credit line with
Japanese distribution company Shochiku for
De Niro-starring projects that will begin next year when
De Niro sets up an untitled film he's co-writing and will
direct, his first time behind the camera since "A
Bronx Tale." Tribeca's also producing
with Billy Crystal and Paula Weinstein the
Harold Ramis-directed Warner Bros. film "Analyze
This"; they're out to directors on "Rocky and Bullwinkle," the live-action Universal project based
on the Jay Ward cartoon which Tribeca will produce
with Tiffany Ward from a Kenny Lonergan
script. Rosenthal said it's gained momentum
since the success of the Ward cartoon adaptation "George
of the Jungle."At Paramount, Tribeca has teamed with
MTV Prods. to land "The Commitments" scribes Dick Clement
and Ian La Frenais to adapt "Full Moon,"
a movie about the heyday of the Who, back when
the late Keith Moon was destroying drum sets
onstage and hotel rooms off of it.
- .
- "It's not a Keith Moon biopic,
but rather it's intended to be a 'My Favorite Year' set in the rock business, as seen through the eyes of their
roadies," said Rosenthal. The book was written
by former roadies Dougal Butler, Peter
Lawrence and Chris Tengrove, and surviving
Who members are involved. Rosenthal said she hopes
the momentum and the Shochiku deal will propel their shingle toward its ultimate goal: "We'd like eventually to
have our own financing and really develop in
-
DAD
DE NIRO
-
Robert De Niro is going to be
a daddy again, say sources. Grace Hightower,
who wed the "Cop Land" star in June, is said
to be about four months pregnant.De Niro watchers had predicted
that a little one might be on the way. Ever since the
54-year-old actor helped to father twins with ex-girlfriend
Toukie Smith, Hightower has watched while Mr.
D showered affection on his new sons, Julian and Aaron.
-
This isn't to say that Hightower
isn't fond of the boys, but friends say
she longed for a child of her own. Now, with
the help of a fertility specialist, the 42-year-old former
flight attendant is said to be getting her wish. De
Niro's reaction? Although he has reared two grown children,
Raphael and Drena, with ex-wife Diahne Abbott, the star has
really been getting into late-life fatherhood. His only beef
has been that Smith wasn't letting him see the twins as often
as he wanted, but a Family Court ruling
now entitles him to the toddlers more often, say
sources. By the summer, you may see the Raging Bull pushing
a three-seat pram around Tribeca.Meanwhile, De Niro's
latest boxing film just took an uppercut to the chin.
Shooting on "Out on My Feet" was due to start
today, but two private financiers on the $11 million
project bailed out of the deal. Director Barry
Primus is saying that the show will go on, eventually, with
De Niro and Mark Wahlberg playing coach and fighter.
For now, De Niro is headed to Europe for work
on "Ronin," John Frankenheimer's
thriller about a group of former spies
on a private assignment.
-
-
Out on My FeetHOLLYWOOD
(Variety) - One forgone payday too many
prompted a crew walkout Friday on the set of "Out
on My Feet," a boxing drama set to star Robert De Niro and
Mark Wahlberg.The independent production's knockout five
days before the start of shooting sent shock
waves through the Hollywood film community, embarrassing
several high-level agents, stars and entertainment
industry executives.The film's collapse also left
a crew of about 50, including 30 set construction artists,
painters, set dressers and wardrobe designers, out
of several weeks' salary.The film is about the troubled
life story of Vinnie Curto, a former World Boxing
Federation cruiserweight champ. He co-wrote the script
with Larry Golin.Wahlberg, currently hot in "Boogie
Nights," had been preparing for the lead role, but
United Talent Agency sources said UTA had withdrawn from
talks with the film's producers, and that their client
was not signed on.De Niro, listed as an executive producer,
was also set for a role as boxing trainer Angelo
Dundee, Curto's former manager. Neither the actor, nor
his representatives, could be reached for comment. Tom
Sizemore also had been set to co-star. Rehearsals had
included De Niro, Sizemore and Wahlberg.David B. Pritchard,
who has no feature film producing credits, is
a producer of the film along with Golin. Barry Primus was
set to direct.Production designer Waldemar Kalinowski (Leaving
Las Vegas) told Daily Variety that despite the producers'
promises of forthcoming payments, his crews had
worked without pay for three weeks. "Every one of my
crew feels robbed not only of money but of a great
creative opportunity," he said.Primus,
whose previous feature film, "Mistress"
satirized the fringe players of indie filmmaking, said,
"I had confidence in the producers when we started out in
April."Cash for pre-production came in part from Pritchard's
own production company. Golin said that last April
he was introduced to an investor who, Golin understood, was
to cover the film's entire $9 million budget. An
option payment was subsequently made to Golin, Curto and
Primus, and pre-production commenced.out payments due to
Primus, Golin and the crew stopped coming a month ago,
Primus said, and after a meeting with Pritchard,
he learned the original financing arrangement
had changed and the main investor had pulled
out."I was told by Pritchard that we were
covered," Primus told Daily Variety, and he told the
same thing to the crew.Pritchard promised
payments weekly, Primus said, and kept reducing the budget.
When Pritchard failed to appear with
a payment Friday, the crew walked.
-
Pritchard said, "I made no
promises to anybody. I told them that there were risks inherent
in the situation we were in and that there
were no guarantees. It's the nature of people in independent
film to take risks."He claimed to be on the verge
of salvaging the production through a combination of bank
loans and overseas sales.Primus was doubtful of Pritchard's
claim, but hopeful the picture would eventually get
back on its feet. "Wonderful actors and crew members were
drawn to this project," said Primus, "because
it's an important story about a guy who
is full of talent and promise but, because
of childhood abuse, ends up destroying himself and
those around him."Curto, 42, has been developing the
script for the past 10 year, and says he is not
out for the count. "I had my whole life and all my apples
in this one, " he told Daily Variety.
"It's not gonna stop me."
-
-
RONIN
-
Tongues are wagging around Hollywood
about the big payday Robert De Niro has
landed to star in M-G-M/UA's spy thriller Ronin.
Sources say that under the terms of the package deal arranged
by his agents at CAA, De Niro is getting $12 million up
front, and $1 million per year for two years to pay overhead
on his New York-based production company, Tribeca.
That represents a sizable pay hike for the actor:
this summer, De Niro signed on to the Warner
Bros. comedy Analyze This, opposite Billy
Crystal, for $8 million.Ronin is being produced by
Frank Mancuso, Jr., son of M-G-M Chairman Frank Mancuso.
John Frankenheimer will direct the story about
a CIA operative (De Niro) who bands together
with a number of other ex-spies for a mysterious
mission, only to be double-crossed by one of
their own. The De Niro deal gives M-G-M a high-profile film
that might help reverse the fortunes of the financially
troubled company, but some observers are
wondering why M-G-M has opened its coffers
so wide. Mancuso, Jr.'s last film was Hoodlum, which
cost around $40 million to make, and has grossed only $21
million domestically since its release on Labor Day weekend.
De Niro's films have fared somewhat better, but
his presence isn't generally considered
a box office guarantee: among his recent outings,
Cop Land, Heat, and Casino put up decent numbers at the
box office; Sleepers is appointed; and The Fan
simply stiffed.But the actor does have three high-profile films
opening in the next few months: Quentin
Tarantino's Jackie Brown; Great Expectations,
in which he stars opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan
Hawke; and Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog.The De Niro-Ronin
deal comes after M-G-M revealed last week that
it has had a tough financial time of late:
over the past five years, the studio's
red ink adds up to $1.7 billion. In a prospectus sent to
Wall Street last week, the company showed that
it has not turned a profit since 1988.
M-G-M made the filing in an initial step toward
taking the company public.Ronin is scheduled to go before
the cameras in France in November.
-
-
Source:Mr.showbiz
-
Two more
actors join Ronin
-
- Sean Bean, who played James
Bond's nemesis Alec Trevelyan in "GoldenEye,"
and Natascha McElhone, who made her debut as Picasso's
wife in "Surviving Picasso," are joining Robert
De Niro, Jean Reno and Stellan Skarsgard in the
cast of United Artists' big-budget action-adventure
"Ronin" The film is about an international team of former
intelligence agents who are hired to carry out
a dangerous mission. Both Bean and McElhone
will play part of the team.Directed by John Frankenheimer, the
picture begins a scheduled 72-day shoot
on Nov. 3 in France. Credits for Bean include
"Patriot Games," "Black Beauty" and "Anna
Karenina.
-
McElhone starred in the
yet-to-be released independent film "Mrs.
Dalloway," based on the Virginia Woolf novel about a
single day in London just after World War I.
- Ronin
by Corona Coming Attractions
- Wag
the Dog official site
- Wag
the Dog by Corona Coming Attractions
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