Catch ‘The Two
Towers’ If You Can!
What’s Ahead For the Casts of December’s
Hottest Releases
Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers” is
a phenomenon, piling up a towering $300 million in only
34 days of domestic release. “Catch Me if You Can” is
merely another hugely successful Steven Spielberg money
machine, pocketing in its first month more than $140 million.
More shocking stats: “Catch Me” is only Spielberg’s
9th-best-grossing directorial effort, his 12th to top $100
million in the United States. As we write, Spielberg’s
domestic box office total tops $3.1 billion.
“Towers” director Peter Jackson’s
U.S. cume of $636 million isn’t even within shouting
distance, but then, he’s only had five films released
in the United States. (Take out the “Lord of the
Rings” films
and the total plummets to about $20 million.)
Is it strange then – if one exempts the in-the-can
sequel to “Towers” – that neither filmmaker
has a job lined up? Well, no, especially if one remembers
James Cameron still hasn’t decided on his followup
to 1997’s world-beating “Titanic.”
But (speaking of “Titanic”) “Catch” star
Leonardo DiCaprio has a job or two lined up.
On May 12 he’s expected to begin filming “The
Aviator,” the biography of reclusive and eccentric
inventor, pilot, filmmaker and billionaire Howard Hughes.
Directed by DiCaprio’s “Gangs of New York” helmer,
Martin Scorsese, from a screenplay by John Logan (“The
Time Machine,” “Star Trek: Nemesis”),
the story reportedly focuses on Hughes’ early years
in Hollywood, his romances with Ava Gardner and Katherine
Hepburn, and the building of his aviation empire. Warner
Bros. expects it to take off sometime in 2004.
Young Leonardo is then expected to move
on to young Alexander. “Alexander
the Great” is another biography, this time about
the legendary Macedonian warrior king. DiCaprio reunites
with his “Romeo + Juliet” director Baz Luhrmann
(“Moulin Rouge”). Based on the novels by Valerio
Manfredi, the screenplay by Ted Tally (“All the Pretty
Horses,” “Red Dragon”) reportedly delves
into Alexander’s bisexual desires. Nicole Kidman
(“Moulin Rouge,” “The Hours”) is
reportedly set to co-star. Universal and Warner Bros. share
domestic distribution rights. With filming expected to
start this fall in Morocco, it may face competition from
another Alexander project to be directed by Oliver Stone
and star Colin Farrell.
“Toy Story” vet Tom Hanks will lend his voice
again to a CGI creation for “The Polar Express.” The
fantasy drama is 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 picks
up true believers from all over the world on Christmas
Eve and transports them to the North Pole to meet the Kringle
himself. Based on the children’s book by Chris Van
Allsburg (“Jumanji”), the project is being
directed by Robert Zemeckis (“What Lies Beneath,” “Cast
Away”) from a screenplay by Malia Scotch (“Hook,” “Madeline”).
Hanks plays the express conductor. Warner Bros. plans to
board sometime in December 2004.
In the meantime Hanks will star in a contemporized
remake of “The Ladykillers,” the 1955 Ealing Studios
black comedy which starred Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers.
The script by Joel and Ethan Coen – who will also
direct and produce, respectively – resets the story
in the American South, with Hanks as an eccentric professor
who puts together a gang of dishonorable thieves to rob
a riverboat casino. They rent a room in an old woman’s
house, but when she discovers the plot, the old lady proves
remarkably difficult to kill. Filming is set to begin this
summer. Buena Vista has yet to announce a release date.
ShoWest 2003 supporting actor of the year Christopher
Walken is preparing for another busy year.
Currently on screen lending credibility to a marsupial
and former supermodel Estella Warren in “Kangaroo
Jack,” the erstwhile song-and-dance man remains supportive
in “Envy.” The comedy, about the jealousy one
man feels when his longtime friend and neighbor suddenly
becomes rich from selling an invention, was directed by
Barry Levinson (“Bandits,” “An Everlasting
Piece”) from a screenplay by Steve Adams. Ben Stiller
(“The Royal Tenenbaums”), Jack Black (“Orange
County”), Amy Poehler (“Wet Hot American Summer”)
and Rachel Weisz (“About a Boy,” “Confidence”)
co-star. DreamWorks covets a July 3 release.
Walken then segues to “Gigli.” The comedy,
set in Los Angeles, is about a low-ranking mob hitman assigned
to kidnap the district attorney’s mentally challenged
brother – and what happens when the hit man comes
to bond with his captive. Martin Brest (“Meet Joe
Black,” “Scent of a Woman”) directs from
his own screenplay. Ben Affleck (“Daredevil”),
Jennifer Lopez (“Maid in Manhattan”), Nichole
Hiltz (“Austin Powers in Goldmember”), Melissa
Crider (“Mulholland Drive”), Al Pacino (“Simone,” “People
I Know”) and Justin Bartha co-star. Sony puts it
on the docket August 1.
“Helldorado” is a soon-to-be-retitled action comedy,
set in the Amazon jungle, about a bounty hunter who joins
a presumed “escaped convict” on a search for
a mine full of gold. Peter Berg (“Very Bad Things”)
directs from a screenplay by Kario Salem (“The Score”),
James Vanderbilt (“Darkness Falls”) and R.J.
Stewart (“Major League II”). Walken co-stars
with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“The
Scorpion King”), Seann William Scott (“Old
School,” “Bulletproof Monk”), Rosario
Dawson (“25th Hour”), Ewen Bremner (“Black
Hawk Down”) and Jon Gries (“Twin Falls,” “Jackpot”).
Universal lets it out of Purgatory Sept. 26.
“Plots With A View” is a comedy, set in small-town
Wales, about a funeral director losing business to a flashy
American rival. Nick Hurran (“Virtual Sexuality”)
directed from a screenplay by Frederick Ponzlov. Lee Evans
(“The Ladies Man”) stars with Walken, Brenda
Blethlyn (“Lovely and Amazing”), Naomi Watts
(“The Ring”), Miriam Margolyes (“Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”) and Alfred Molina
(“Frida”). Miramax has yet to schedule a viewing.
Although Jennifer Garner appears only
briefly in “Catch,” she
has a much bigger role in the just-released “Daredevil.” She
gets her first starring big-screen role in “13 Going
on 30.” The comedy, to be filmed once the current
season of Garner’s “Alias” concludes,
is about a 13-year-old girl with dreams of popularity who
is locked in a closet during a birthday party game. Humiliated,
she refuses to come out until she emerges, Rip Van Wrinkle-like,
five days short of her 30th birthday. Gary Wince (“Tadpole”)
directs from a screenplay by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yaps.
The Revolution production has yet to arrange for distribution.
“Two Towers” veterans are also working. First
up for most of them is, of course, “The Lord Of The
Rings: The Return Of The King.” The final installment
of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy
reveals the identity of the true King of the West, the
outcome of the Great War, and the fate of Frodo and Sam
in the dungeons of Mordor, and takes the One Ring to the
Crack of Doom. Returnees from parts one and two include
the “Heavenly Creatures”-”The Frighteners” team
of writer-director Peter Jackson and screenwriter Fran
Walsh, as well as screenwriter Philippa Boyens and actors
Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins,
Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Liv
Tyler as Arwen, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Cate Blanchett
as Galadriel, Billy Boyd as Pippin Took, Dominic Monagham
as Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck, John Rhys-Davies
as Gimli, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Andy Serkis as Gollum,
and Hugo Weaving as Elrond. Returnees from “The Two
Towers” include screenwriter Stephen Sinclair (“Dead
Alive”) as well as actors Bernard Hill as Théoden,
Brad Dourif as Gríma Wormtongue, Miranda Otto as Éowyn,
Karl Urban as Éomer, and David Wenham as Faramir.
Returnees from “The Fellowship of the Ring” include
Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins. New Line calls it a trilogy
Dec. 17.
Viggo Mortensen gets to show off some
more of his equestrian skills in “Hidalgo.” The Western adventure,
set in 1890 and based on a true story, is about a Pony
Express courier who raced his mustang in dangerous races
around the world. Joe Johnston (“October Sky,” “Jurassic
Park III”) directs from a screenplay by John 
Fusco
(“Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”). Mortensen’s
co-stars include Zuleikha Robinson (“Timecode”),
Malcolm McDowell (“I Spy”), Adam Alexi-Malle
(“AI: Artificial Intelligence”), Frank Collison
(“The Majestic”), Adoni Maropis (“Scorpion
King”) and Omar Sharif (“The 13th Warrior”).
Buena Vista lets it out of the corral sometime in 2003.
Hugo Weaving gets to be in all three “Matrix” movies,
too. First up is “The Matrix Reloaded.” Six
months after learning to “fly,” Neo continues
the fight alongside Morpheus and Trinity as more and more
humans are alerted to the true nature of their existence.
Returnees from part one include writer-directors Andy and
Larry Wachowski (“Bound”), as well as actors
Keanu Reeves (“Hardball”), Laurence Fishburne
(“Biker Boyz”), Carrie-Anne Moss (“Memento”)
and Weaving. Newcomers to the series include Jada Pinkett
Smith (“Ali”), Monica Bellucci (“Tears
of the Sun”), Nona Gaye (“Ali”), Harold
Perrineau (“Woman on Top”), Daniel Bernhardt
(“Blood Sport II: The Next Kumite”), Matt McColm
(“Space Cowboys”), Harry J. Lennix (“Collateral
Damage”), Stuart Wells (“Billy Elliot”),
Lambert Wilson (“Jefferson in Paris”), Ray
Jones Jr. (“Devil’s Advocate”), Christine
Anu (“Moulin Rouge!”), Lachy Hulme (“Crocodile
Hunter: Collision Course”) and Collin Chou. Warner
Bros. downloads it May 15. Part three, titled “The
Matrix Revolutions,” begins crashing mainframes Nov.
17.
Billy Boyd gets to take off his hairy
feet and try on some deck shoes in “Master And Commander.” The
action adventure, set on the high seas during the Napoleonic
Wars, follows two friends – surgeon-masterspy Stephen
Maturin and Capt. Jack Aubrey of the British Royal Navy – who
sail the world chasing down a French super-frigate called
the Acheron. It’s based on the best-selling 1970
novel by Patrick O’Brian and its 19 sequels. Peter
Weir (“The Truman Show”) directs from a screenplay
by Weir, Larry Ferguson (“Rollerball”) and
John Collee. Boyd’s co-stars include two “A
Beautiful Mind” vets: Russell Crowe as Aubrey and
Paul Bettany as Maturin. Fox unfurls it June 6.
Liv Tyler trades her Elvish accent
for a New Jersey one in “Jersey Girl.” The comedy, about a man whose
already-full life is complicated by the addition of a new
wife and 6-year-old daughter, was written and directed
by Kevin Smith (“Dogma,” “Jay and Silent
Bob Strike Back”). Tyler stars with “Gigli” vets
(and real-life couple) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez,
as well as a number of Affleck’s fellow Smith veterans,
among them Jason Lee (“A Guy Thing”), Jason
Mewes (“Vulgar”), Joey Lauren Adams (“Harvard
Man”) and George Carlin (“Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back”). Miramax has yet to set a release date.
Fresh off the dwarf-tossing jokes (will
there be one in “Return
of the King”?), John Rhys-Davies takes on a full-sized
part in “Highbinders,” an actioner about an
immigration officer who survives death and wins supernatural
powers that help him fight crime. Gordon Chan directs from
a screenplay by Bennett Joshua Davlin, Paul Wheeler and
Bey Logan. Rhys-Davies stars with Jackie Chan (“Shanghai
Knights”), Claire Forlani (“AntiTrust”),
Lee Evans (“Plots With A View”), Christy Chung
and Anthony Wong. Sony is high on Oct. 17 as a release
date.
Orlando Bloom, the distinctly non-Keebler
Elf, joins a band of outlaws in “Ned Kelly.” The historical
drama, set in Australia, details the life of the notorious
outlaw who eluded authorities until his capture and execution
by hanging in 1880. Gregor Jordan (“Buffalo Soldiers”)
directs from a screenplay by Robert Drewe and John M. McDonagh.
Heath Ledger (“Four Feathers”) plays the title
role opposite Bloom, Naomi Watts (“Plots With A View”),
Geoffrey Rush (“Frida”), Rachel Griffiths (“The
Rookie”), and Joel Edgerton (“Star Wars: Episode
II – Attack of the Clones”), Peter Phelps (“Lantana”).
The film opens in Australia March 27. Universal has yet
to set a U.S. release.
Bloom also gets his feet wet in “The Pirates Of The
Caribbean.” The action-adventure, set in the 17th
century, is about a mannerly (if bloodthirsty) pirate who
teams with a governor’s daughter to prevent treacherous
rivals from reversing an ancient curse. Gore Verbinski
(“The Ring”) directs from a screenplay by Terry
Rossio & Ted Elliott (“Shrek”). Johnny
Depp (“From Hell”), Geoffrey Rush (“Ned
Kelly”), Keira Knightley (“Star Wars: Episode
I – The Phantom Menace,” “Bend it Like
Beckham”) and Issac C. Singleton Jr. (“Planet
of the Apes”) co-star. Buena Vista says “arr!” July
9.
Ian McKellen has also got a sequel-thing
going. Besides being rumored to take over the role of
Professor Dumbledore
from the late Richard Harris in the “Harry Potter” films,
Sir Ian also has a recurring role in the “X-Men” features. “X-Men
2,” due May 2 from Fox, was covered in detail in
last month’s big comic book issue.
Frodo Works! Elijah Wood has signed
on to “Eternal
Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind,” a comedy about a
man who undergoes a procedure to erase memories of his
ex-girlfriend – but begins to regret the erasure
when he’s left with only memories of their early,
happier days. Michel Gondry (“Human Nature”)
is set to direct from a 
screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (“Human
Nature,” “Adaptation,” “Confessions
of a Dangerous Mind”). Wood co-stars with Jim Carrey
(“The Majestic”), Kate Winslet (“The
Life of David Gale”), Kirsten Dunst (“Spider-Man”),
Tom Wilkinson (“The Importance of Being Ernest”)
and Mark Ruffalo (“Windtalkers,” “View
From the Top”). Focus Features plans a fall release.
Cate Blanchett opts for a less-than-ethereal
line of work in “Veronica
Guerin.” The
drama, based on a true story, is about the Dublin journalist
who was murdered
in 1996 after she wrote a series of revealing articles
about various local crime figures. Joel Schumacher (“Tigerland,” “Phone
Booth”) directs from a screenplay by Carol Doyle
(“Washington Square”) and Mary Agnes Donoghue
(“Beaches,” “White Oleander”).
Blanchett’s co-stars include Brenda Fricker (“The
General”), Ciarán Hinds (“Road to Perdition,” “The
Weight of Water”), Gerard McSorley (“Felicia’s
Journey”) and Colin Farrell (“Daredevil,” “Phone
Booth”). Buena Vista says it will be released sometime
in 2003. 
