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M.I.A. '03
What’s Ahead For The Stars Who Sat Out The Year

by Patrick Corcoran

Stars! We’ve got stars! We’ve got the stars who haven’t had a movie released all year! And are we going to let a little inconvenient fact like the year not actually being over get in our way? No! Just like we’re not bothered by the eensy weensy technicality that most of the stars on our list had films that were released in the last weeks of December 2002 which played into 2003 as late as August. We’re made of sterner stuff than that.
Like we were saying: Stars! We’ve got stars!

Missing: Brad Pitt
Career Peak: “Interview With the Vampire” (1994)
Career Peak Domestic Theatrical Gross (DTG): $105.2 million
If the tabloids are to be trusted, Mr. Jennifer Aniston has spent the last year waiting for “Friends’” shooting hiatuses and his wife’s fertility cycles to synchronize. Actually, he’s been working on the epic drama “Troy.”
Set around 1193 B.C., it tells the story of a Trojan prince who incites a bloody, decade-long war with the Greeks after he steals away the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. It’s based on Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad.” Wolfgang Peterson (“Air Force One,” “The Perfect Storm”) directs from a screenplay by David Benioff (“25th Hour”) and Michael Tabb. Pitt stars as Achilles, with Eric Bana (“Black Hawk Down,” “Hulk”) as Hector, Orlando Bloom (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” the “Lord of the Rings” series) as the Trojan prince Paris, Diane Kruger as Helen, Brendan Gleeson (“28 Days Later,” “Cold Mountain”) as Menelaus, Sean Bean (“Equilibrium”) as Odysseus, Brian Cox (“X2”) as Agamemnon, Peter O’Toole (“Phantoms”) as Trojan king Priam, Julie Christie (“No Such Thing,” “Neverland”) as Thetis, Saffron Burrows (“Frida”) as Andromache, Rose Byrne (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “City of Ghosts,” “I Capture the Castle”) as Briseis, and Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus. Warner Bros. launches it on more than a thousand screens May 14.

Pitt stops next in “Ocean’s Twelve,” the follow up to Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 hit. In it, casino owner Terry Benedict contemplates vengeance as Danny Ocean masterminds new heists in Amsterdam, Paris and Rome. Returnees from part one are expected to include director Steven Soderbergh (“Solaris”) and actors Pitt, George Clooney (“Intolerable Cruelty”), Julia Roberts (“Mona Lisa Smile”), Andy Garcia (“Confidence”), Casey Affleck (“Gerry”), Scott Caan (“Sonny”), Matt Damon (“Stuck on You”), Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner and Bernie Mac (“Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “Bad Santa”). Newcomers to the franchise may include screenwriter George Nolfi (“Timeline”) and actor Vincent Cassel. Warner Bros. is gambling on a Dec. 10, 2004 release.

Missing: Tom Hanks
Career Peak: “Forrest Gump” (1994)
Career Peak DTG: $329.6 million
Hanks next reteams with his “Catch Me” director Steven Spielberg for “The Terminal.” Based on a true story, it’s the tale of an immigrant fleeing a war ravaging his tiny Eastern European homeland who finds himself stuck in the terminal of one of New York City’s airports when his arrival coincides with the dissolution of his home country, rendering his passport no longer valid. Now a man without a home, he makes the terminal his residence. Spielberg directs from a screenplay by Sascha Gervasi (“The Big Tease”) and Jeff Nathanson (“Catch Me if You Can”). Hanks’ co-stars include Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Intolerable Cruelty”), Chi McBride (“Paid in Full”), Stanley Tucci (“The Core”), Diego Luna (“Open Range”), Zoe Saldana (“Pirates of the Caribbean”), Jude Ciccolella (“Down With Love”), Eddie Jones (“Seabiscuit”) and Kumar Pallana (“Duplex”). DreamWorks begins regularly scheduled service June 18.

“The Polar Express” is a computer-animated fantasy drama about a young boy who, after refusing to accept his friends’ arguments that Santa Claus does not exist, is rewarded by the arrival in front of his house of the Polar Express – a steam train that on Christmas Eve picks up true believers from all over the world and transports them to the North Pole to meet the Kringle himself. It’s based on the children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg (“Jumanji”). Robert Zemeckis (“What Lies Beneath,” “Cast Away”) directed from a screenplay by Malia Scotch (“Hook,” “Madeline”) and William Broyles Jr. (“Cast Away”). Hanks stars with “Bossom Buddies” vet Peter Scolari (“Sorority Boys”), as well as Eddie Deezen (“Spy Hard”), Chris Coppola (“Simone”), Michael Jeter (“Welcome to Collinwood,” “Open Range”), Connor Matheus (“Santa Clause 2”) and Josh Hutcherson (“American Splendor”). Warner Bros. yells “all aboard” Nov. 19.

“The Ladykillers” finds Hanks in a black comedy about a group of robbers who plot to kill their surprisingly sturdy landlady after she learns about their impending heist. It’s a remake of the 1955 British feature. The “Intolerable Cruelty” team of writer-director Joel Coen and writer-producer Ethan Coen reunite. Hanks, J.K. Simmons (the “Spider-Man” series), Greg Grunberg (“Malibu’s Most Wanted”), Marlon Wayans (“Scary Movie 2”), Irma P. Hall (“Bad Company”), Tzi Ma (“The Quiet American”), and Ryan Hurst (“We Were Soldiers”) star. Buena Vista may be planning a 2004 release.

Missing: Leonardo DiCaprio
Career Peak: “Titanic” (1997)
Career Peak DTG: $600.7 million
Hanks’ “Catch Me” co-star DiCaprio’s big follow up to his big Martin Scorsese movie is another big Scorsese movie. “The Aviator” is the biography of the reclusive and eccentric inventor, pilot, filmmaker and billionaire Howard Hughes. Directed by Scorsese (“Gangs of New York”) from a screenplay by John Logan (“The Time Machine,” “Star Trek: Nemesis,” “The Last Samurai”), it stars DiCaprio as Hughes, with Cate Blanchett (the “Lord of the Rings” series, “Veronica Guerin”) and Frances Conroy (“Maid in Manhattan,” “Die Mommie Die”) as Katharine Hepburn, Kate Beckinsale (“Underworld”) as Ava Gardner, No Doubt vocalist Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow, Adam Scott as Johnny Meyer, Kelli Garner (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”) as Faith Domergue, Alec Baldwin (“The Cooler,” “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat In The Hat”) as Juan Trippe, Danny Huston (“ivans xtc,” “21 Grams”) as Jack Frye, John C. Reilly (“Anger Management”) as Noah Dietrich, Matt Ross (“Down With Love”) as Glenn Odekirk, Ian Holm (the “Lord of the Rings” series) as Fitz, Brent Spiner (“Star Trek: Nemesis”) as Robert Gross, Alan Alda (“What Women Want”) as Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster, Edward Herrmann (“Intolerable Cruelty”) as Joseph Breen, Stanley DeSantis (“The Man Who Wasn’t There,” “Die Mommie Die”) as Louis B. Mayer, Amy Sloane (“Timeline,” “Gothika”) as Hughes’ mother and Nellie Sciutto (“The Closet”) as Nadine Henley. Willem Dafoe (“Once Upon A Time in Mexico”) also co-stars. Warner Bros. spruces it up for a Dec. 19, 2004 release.

Missing: Ralph Fiennes
Career Peak: “Schindler’s List” (1993)
Career Peak DTG: $96.0 million

Missing: Sandra Bullock
Career Peak: “Speed” (1994)
Career Peak DTG: $121.2 million
Before reprising her role as Special Agent Gracie Hart, Sandra Bullock co-stars with Ralph Fiennes in “Vapor.” It’s a romantic comedy about a struggling actress who saves the life of a scientist who in turn uses a secret formula that helps make her a star. It’s based on the Amanda Filipacchi novel. Neil LaBute (“The Shape of Things”) directed. Warner Bros. has yet to set a release date.

“Miss Congeniality 2” has just gotten the greenlight. No details beyond Bullock’s participation are known about this sequel to the 2000 blockbuster action-comedy.

Missing: Richard Gere
Career Peak: “Pretty Woman” (1990)
Career Peak DTG: $178.4 million
“Shall We Dance?” Gere will in this American remake of the Japanese comedy about a shy, middle-aged accountant who finds his drab life transformed when a beautiful young woman he spots through a dance studio window inspires him to sign up for dance lessons. Peter Chelsom (“Town & Country,” “Serendipity”) directed from a screenplay by Audrey Wells (“Guinevere,” “The Kid,” “Under the Tuscan Sun”). Jennifer Lopez (“Gigli”) stars as the dance teacher. Co-stars include fellow MIA Susan Sarandon (“Moonlight Mile”), as well as Stanley Tucci (“The Core”), Len Cariou (“About Schmidt”), Richard Jenkins (“Intolerable Cruelty”) and Mya Harrison (“Chicago”). Miramax has yet to set a release date.

Missing: Robin Williams
Career Peak: “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993)
Career Peak DTG: $219.1 million
“Final Cut” is a science-fiction thriller, set in a world where people have life-recording chips implanted into their brains. Williams plays the man in charge of the “final cuts” for memorials to the recorded lives who discovers information that puts his own life in jeopardy. It was written and directed by Omar Naim. Mira Sorvino (“Gods and Generals”), Anjelica Huston (“Daddy Day Care”), Stephanie Romanov (“Thirteen Days”), Chris Britton (“Tomorrow”) and Jim Caviezel (“High Crimes”) co-star. Lions Gate has yet to set a release date.

“The Brothers Grimm” is a fantasy thriller, loosely based on the lives of the titular folklorists, who wander from town to town pretending to eradicate villages of “enchanted” creatures. Terry Gilliam (“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) directs from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger (“The Ring”). Matt Damon (“Stuck on You”) and Heath Ledger (“The Order”) co-star as the brothers. Williams’ other co-stars include Jonathan Pryce (“Pirates of the Caribbean”), Monica Bellucci (“The Matrix Revolutions,” “Irreversible”), Lena Headey (“Possession”) and Peter Stormare (“Bad Boys II”). Miramax has yet to set a release date.

Missing: Ashley Judd
Career Peak: “Double Jeopardy” (1999)
Career Peak DTG: $116.7 million
“Twisted” is a thriller about a detective who becomes the center of a murder investigation when her ex-boyfriends begin dying. Philip Kaufman (“Quills”) directs from a screenplay by Sarah Thorp, Robyn Meisinger and Linne Radmin. Judd (“Frida”) stars with Samuel L. Jackson (“S.W.A.T.” “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”), Andy Garcia (“Confidence”), David Strathairn (“Blue Car”) and D.W. Moffett (“Traffic”). It’s also known as “The Blackout Murders.” Paramount sheds some light on it April 2.

“She’s De Lovely” is a musical drama about the life of homosexual composer Cole Porter (“Don’t Fence Me In,” “Anything Goes”), who married his muse, a socialite named Linda Lee, and never wrote another song after her death. Irwin Winkler (“At First Sight,” “Life as a House”) directs from a screenplay by Jay Cocks (“Gangs of New York”). Kevin Kline (“The Emperor’s Club”) stars as Porter and Judd co-stars as Linda. Their co-stars include Jonathan Pryce (“Pirates of the Caribbean”), Keith Allen (“24 Hour Party People”) and John Barrowman (TV’s “Titans”). Singers Elvis Costello (“200 Cigarettes”), Sheryl Crow (“The Minus Man”), Diana Krall (“At First Sight”), Natalie Cole (HBO’s “Always Outnumbered”), Mick Hucknall, Robbie Williams and Alannis Morissette (“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”) also appear. MGM has yet to set a release date.

Missing: Helen Hunt
Career Peak: “What Women Want” (2000)
Career Peak DTG: $182.3 million
Hunt seems to be in one of those awkward career transitions that especially plague actresses as they approach the age of 40. After a flurry of films following her “As Good As It Gets” Oscar, Hunt has disappeared over the last few years. She’s back with “A Good Woman” – a comedy about a middle-aged temptress who plans to steal away a very young woman’s husband. Mike Barker (“Best Laid Plans”) directed from a screenplay by Howard Himelstein. Hunt, Tom Wilkinson (“The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Girl With A Pearl Earring”) and Scarlett Johansson (“Lost in Translation,” “Girl with a Pearl Earring”) star. It has yet to snare a U.S. distributor.

Missing: Jodie Foster
Career Peak: “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
Career Peak DTG: $130.7 million
Apart from her long involvement with “Flora Plum” (referenced also in this feature’s entry for Meryl Streep), Foster is also entangled in “A Very Long Engagement.” This French-language drama is about a wheelchair-bound woman’s relentless search for her missing lover, believed to have been among five court-martialed French soldiers sent to the front line during World War I as punishment for desertion. It’s based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot (“The Children of the Marshland”). The “Amélie” team of writer-director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (“Alien: Resurrection”) and screenwriter Guillaume Laurant (“City of Lost Children”) reunite. Audrey Tautou (“Amélie,” “Dirty Pretty Things”) stars with Foster, Gaspard Ulliel (“Brotherhood of the Wolf”), Dominique Pinon (“Amélie”), Chantal Neuwirth (“Madeline”) and Tchéky Karyo (“The Core,” “Taking Lives”). It’s also known as “Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles.” Warner Bros. has yet to set a release date.

Missing: Daniel Day-Lewis
Career Peak: “Gangs of New York” (2002)
Career Peak DTG: $77.6 million
Day-Lewis’ wife gives him work in “Rose And The Snake.” The drama is about a dying father who slowly introduces his 16-year-old daughter, whom he has raised in complete isolation on an island off Canada’s Pacific Coast, to other human beings. Writer-director Rebecca Miller (“Personal Velocity”), who is both Day-Lewis’ spouse and playwright Arthur Miller’s daughter, helms from a screenplay by Miller and Michael Rohatyn. Camille Bell (“Practical Magic,” “Invisible Circus”), Catherine Keener (“Simone”), Beau Bridges (“RocketMan”), Ryan McDonald (“Zero Tolerance”) and Paul Dano (“The Emperor’s Club”) co-star. IFC has yet to set a release date.

Missing: Freddie Prinze Jr.
Career Peak: “Scooby-Doo” (2002)
Career Peak DTG: $153.2 million
Prinze gets groovy again with “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.” The meddling Scooby Gang takes on a criminal mastermind in possession of a machine capable of manufacturing monsters. It’s a sequel to the 2002 blockbuster. Returnees from part one include director Raja Gosnell (“Big Momma’s House”) and screenwriter James Gunn (“The Specials”) as well as actors Mathew Lillard (“Thir13en Ghosts”) as Shaggy, Prinze (“Summer Catch”) as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Harvard Man”) as Daphne, and Linda Cardellini (“Legally Blonde”) as Velma. Newcomers to the series include Seth Green (“The Italian Job,” “Party Monster”) as a museum curator and Alicia Silverstone (“Love’s Labour’s Lost”) as a reporter. Warner Bros. tears off the mask March 26.

Missing: Wesley Snipes
Career Peak: “Blade 2” (2002)
Career Peak DTG: $81.6 million
Snipes returns to his most successful franchise with “Blade: Trinity.” As Marvel Comics’ half-human vampire slayer flees the federal authorities who believe him to be a serial murderer, the vampire community resurrects Dracula, said to be the most powerful vampire of them all. Set to return from parts one and two are screenwriter David S. Goyer and actors Snipes and Kris Kristofferson (“Planet of the Apes,” “The Big Bounce”). Goyer (who previously helmed the direct-to-video feature “Zigzag”) was set to make his big-screen directorial debut. Newcomers to the series include Jessica Biel (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), Ryan Reynolds (“The In-Laws”), Parker Posey (“A Mighty Wind,” “The Event”), Dominic Purcell (“Equilibrium”), and wrestling star Michael Paul “Triple H” LeVesque. New Line has staked out Aug. 13 for the release.

Missing: Chris Tucker
Career Peak: “Rush Hour 2” (2001)
Career Peak DTG: $226.1 million
Tucker should be a category unto himself, perhaps Missing In His Own Career. Aside from New Line’s “Rush Hour 3” which is slated for 2005 and reunites Tucker, Jackie Chan and director Brett Ratner, the one-time $20-million-per-film actor has no known projects that are currently in development.

Missing: Robert De Niro
Career Peak: “Analyze This” (1999)
Career Peak DTG: $106.8 million
“Godsend” is a horror thriller about a young couple who seek out a scientist they believe can clone their late son. Directed by Nick Hamm (“Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence,” “Talk of Angels”) from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, the film co-stars De Niro, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (“X2”), Greg Kinnear (“Auto Focus,” “Stuck on You”), Jenny Levine (“The Recruit”), Deborah Odell (“A Simple Wish”) and Cameron Bright. Lions Gate has yet to set a release date.

“Meet The Fockers” is the planned sequel to the 2000 comedy blockbuster “Meet the Parents.” Returnees from part one are expected to include director Jay Roach (the “Austin Powers” series), screenwriter Jim Herzfeld (“Meet the Deedles”), and actors De Niro, Ben Stiller (“Duplex,” “Along Came Polly”), Teri Polo (“Beyond Borders”) and Blythe Danner (“The Invisible Circus”). Newcomers to the series include screenwriters Chris & Paul Weitz (“About A Boy”). Filming is expected to begin in March and Universal plans a Dec. 22, 2004 release.

“The Bridge of San Luis Rey” is a drama, based on the Thornton Wilder novel, about a priest who investigates the deaths of five villagers when a rope bridge collapses. Irishwoman Mary McGuckian (“This is the Sea”) directs from her own screenplay. De Niro’s co-stars include Harvey Keitel (“Red Dragon”), Kathy Bates (“About Schmidt”), Gabriel Byrne (“Spider”), Geraldine Chaplin (“The City of No Limits”), F. Murray Abraham (“Thir13en Ghosts”), John Lynch (“Evelyn”), Pilar López de Ayala, Émilie Dequenne, Adriana Domínguez, Samuel Le Bihan, Dominique Pinon and Mark & Michael Polish (“Northfork”). It has yet to find a distributor.
“Hide and Seek” is a drama about a widower who tries to piece together his life following his wife’s suicide, while his daughter finds solace – initially – in an imaginary friend. John Polson (“Swimfan”) directed from a screenplay by Ari Schlossberg. De Niro co-stars with Famke Janssen (“X2”) and Dakota Fanning (“Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat”). Fox has yet to set a release date.

Missing: Ice Cube
Career Peak: “Barbershop” (2002)
Career Peak DTG: $75.7 million
Mr. Cube’s followup to “Barbershop” is a Jan. 16 Warner Bros. release titled “Torque,” of which one can read more in this month's Preview.

The veteran of the “Friday” movies then continues his adventures in franchising with “Barbershop 2,” which finds the barbers and customers from part one interacting with the owner of a nearby beauty shop. His fellow returnees include screenwriter Don D. Scott as well as actors Cedric the Entertainer (“Intolerable Cruelty”), Michael Ealy (“2 Fast 2 Furious”), Eve (“XXX”), Troy Garity (“Bandits”) and Sean Patrick Thomas (“Halloween: Resurrection”). Newcomers to the series include director Kevin Sullivan (“How Stella Got Her Groove Back”) and actress Queen Latifah (“Bringing Down the House,” “Scary Movie 3”). MGM takes a little off the top Feb. 6.

Ice Cube takes over another franchise with the lead role in “XXX2,” which is going ahead without Vin Diesel and “XXX” director Rob Cohen. Lee Tamahori (“Die Another Day”) was set to direct. One of the few notable returnees is Samuel L. Jackson, who will reprise his role as Agent Augustus Gibbons. Sony is planning a June 2005 release.

Missing: Julianne Moore
Career Peak: “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997)
Career Peak DTG: $230.0 million
Moore leaves her period drama period behind for “Laws Of Attraction.” The contemporary romantic comedy is about two divorce lawyers who marry each other – only to find that they are plagued by the same marital difficulties that affect their clients. Peter Howitt (“AntiTrust,” “Johnny English”) directed from a screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna (“Three to Tango”), Robert Harling (“The Evening Star”) and Karey Kirkpatrick (“The Little Vampire”). Moore co-stars with Pierce Brosnan (“Die Another Day”), Parker Posey (“A Mighty Wind,” “The Event”), Michael Sheen (“Timeline”), Frances Fisher (“Blue Car,” “House of Sand and Fog”) and Nora Dunn (“Runaway Jury”). New Line hopes it has some appeal April 16.

“Marie And Bruce” is a comedy-drama, based on the play by Wallace Shawn (“The Designated Mourner”), about a string of revelations that emerge the day an unhappy couple decides to call it quits. Tom Cairns makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Cairns and Shawn (“My Dinner with Andre”). Moore’s co-stars include Matthew Broderick (“You Can Count On Me”), Griffin Dunne (“40 Days and 40 Nights”), Campbell Scott (“Rodger Dodger,” “The Secret Lives of Dentists”) and Steve Burns. It has yet to find a domestic distributor.

Oh, and let’s not forget about “The Forgotten,” a thriller about a grieving mother who, after discovering her 8-year-old son mysteriously disappeared during an airplane crash, learns with the help of a psychoanalyst that the boy never actually existed. Joseph Ruben (“Money Train,” “Return to Paradise”) directs from a screenplay by Gerald DiPego (“Angel Eyes”). Moore’s co-stars include Dominic West (“Chicago,” “Mona Lisa Smile”), Gary Sinese (“The Human Stain,” “The Big Bounce”), Alfre Woodard (“Radio”) and Anthony Edwards (“Northfork”). Sony remembers to release it June 25.

Missing: Meryl Streep
Career Peak: “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979)
Career Peak DTG: $106.2 million
It seems like it’s just been “Hours” since we’ve seen Streep. We’ll see her next in “Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events.” The adventure – about three orphans who are taken in by Count Olaf, a relative anxious to separate the children from an undisclosed fortune – is based on the wildly popular book series by Daniel Handler (“Watch Your Mouth”). Brad Silberling (“Moonlight Mile”) was set to direct from a screenplay by Handler. Jim Carrey (“Bruce Almighty”) was reportedly set to star as Count Olaf, Streep as Justice Strauss, Jude Law (“Road to Perdition,” “Cold Mountain”) as Lemony Snicket, Emily Browning (“Darkness Falls”) as Violet Baudelaire and Liam Aiken (“Good Boy!”) as Klaus Baudelaire. Paramount has set Dec. 17, 2004 for the release.

“Flora Plum” is a drama, set in the 1930s, about a man who makes his living as a circus freak, and the waif he falls for. Jodie Foster (“Home for the Holidays”) was reportedly set to direct the much-delayed project from a screenplay by Steven Rogers (“Hope Floats,” “Stepmom,” “Kate & Leopold”). Claire Danes (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”) was reportedly set for the title role. Streep and Russell Crowe (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Master and Commander”) were also reportedly set to take part. Focus plans a 2004 release.

“The Manchurian Candidate” is a remake, this time reportedly set in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, of the 1962 political thriller about a POW brainwashed by a foreign government into an unwitting assassin. Based on a story by Richard Condon (“Prizzi’s Honor”), it’s directed by Jonathan Demme (“Beloved,” “The Truth About Charlie”) from a screenplay by Daniel Pyne (“The Sum of All Fears”) and Dean Georgaris. Streep takes on the Angela Lansbury role, Denzel Washington (“Out of Time”) the Frank Sinatra role and Liev Schreiber (“The Sum of All Fears”) the Laurence Harvey part. Viola Davis (“Solaris,” “Antwone Fisher”), Kimberly Elise (“Beloved,” “John Q”), Miguel Ferrer (“Sunshine State”) and Jon Voight (“Holes”) co-star. Paramount has yet to set a U.S. release date.

Missing: Susan Sarandon
Career Peak: “The Client” (1994)
Career Peak DTG: $92.1 million
It’s not all about “Shall We Dance?” (see the Richard Gere entry) for Sarandon. It’s also about “Alfie.” This remake – of the 1966 romantic comedy about a womanizer whose near-death experience causes him to rethink his empty lifestyle – was directed by Charles Shyer (“Father of the Bride Part II,” “The Affair of the Necklace”) from a screenplay by Shyer and Elaine Pope (TV’s “Seinfeld”). Sarandon’s co-stars include Jude Law (“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) in the title role, as well as Marisa Tomei (“Anger Management”), Jane Krakowski (“Marci X”), Sienna Miller (TV’s “Keen Eddie”), Nia Long (“Big Momma’s House”) and Omar Epps (“Big Trouble”). Paramount plans to raise Caine in 2005.

“A Whale In Montana” is a dramatic Sarandon vehicle about a widowed doctor who re-examines her life when the best friend of her 7-year-old daughter begins having visions of her dead husband. George Hickenlooper (“The Man From Elysian Fields”) directs from a screenplay by Paul Donohoe. Sarandon’s co-stars include Leelee Sobieski (“Max”), Robin Tunney (“The In-Laws”), Donald Sutherland (“The Italian Job,” “Cold Mountain”), David Strathairn (“Blue Car”) and Rory Cochrane (“Hart’s War”). It has yet to land a domestic distributor.