Superman
may live, but not until 1999. After moving faster than a speeding bullet
to start filming October 6th with Nicolas Cage putting on the
tights for director Tim Burton, the film leapt to a February
start date, then took a second bound to April 1998. Why? It's inferred.
To explain. Superman Lives has had enough troubles to make one
believe that Lex Luthor was an exec at another studio. The original
script, by Chasing Amy scribe Kevin Smith, was dumped
by Burton. The new version, by Wesley Strick (Cape Fear/The
Saint), apparently has struck Kryptonite as well. Then, the production
move to early 1998 made the scheduled summer 1998 release date into
a Titanic-like scheduling nightmare. So, Warner Bros. moved it
to Christmas 1998. Okay? Nope! Resurrected Producer Jon Peters wanted
a summer movie! So, July 3, 1999 it is. Safe at last? Warner Bros. hopes
so. The Independence Day release date is five whole weeks from the Star
Wars prequel. It'll need it. And if the other studios are looking
for a fight, Cage's Neurotic Man Of Steel could end up fighting the
Jedi, The Fantastic Four and The Terminator (T-3) in one
bloody summer.
Speaking of The Terminator, I told you last week about the purchase
of the sequel rights by bankrupt company king Andy Vanja. Turns
out the 20th Century Fox found out about the purchase at about the same
time I did. Why does that matter? Well, they were in the midst of closing
negotiations with Jim Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gale
Ann Hurd to make T-3 at Fox. Not only were they embarrassed,
but they now have a very unwanted partner. The bottom price for the
remake rights now sits at about $15 million and is likely to go up as
Vanja applies the pressure. And that's before Arnold's likely $30 million
asking price, Cameron's probable $15 million writer/director fee and
the production itself, which, given Cameron's history, could push beyond
Titanic's $200 million (low estimate) price tag. Arnold's new
tag line? "I'll be back-breaker."
In more Fox news, the studio is being sued by New York State, which
is claiming that the studio is in cahoots with Sammy "The Bull" Gravano,
former mob hit man, to skirt the state's "Son of Sam" law, which keeps
convicted felons from profiting from their criminal acts. The fight
is over the $250,000 Gravano received when Underboss, the Peter
Maas bestseller about Gravano's murderous history, was sold to Fox.
Always wanting to stay with the trend, California legislators want to
pass the Home Alone 3 law, making it illegal for studios to profit
from unnecessary sequels.
E-Mail Dave with the issues
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