DreamWorks is prepping Hell Bent, an effects comedy about a tobacco
executive whose primary responsibility is selling cigarettes to kids.
When his disgusted wife pushes him out of his window to his death, hell
is the next stop and he, of course, fits right in. You all have read
Rough Cut Daily's Pact With The Devil. Well, here's your chance.
What show business people -- star, executive or job title -- do you
think are one window push away from running the city that never extinguishes?
E-mail me your candidates and
the reasons. The best entrant will win their very own slot on The
Hot Button.
The Jackal may have been number one at the box office this week,
but the road was as twisted off-screen as on. You may remember the controversy
over the original title, "The Day of the Jackal," which was meant by
Universal to make the new version seem like a remake of the 1973 classic
directed by Fred Zinnemann. Fred objected strenuously after reading
the screenplay by Kevin JarrŽ. At the time, producer Jim Jacks
defended the changes in the screenplay as part of the artistic genius
of JarrŽ, the writer of Tombstone and Glory. "Why the
IRA character?" I asked. "Kevin's Irish," was Jack's response. "Why
a Richard Gere-type rather than the frumpy government guy?" "Kevin
thought The Jackal was so charismatic that we needed someone equally
as charismatic." Cut to the release of the movie. Universal settles
with Zinnemann, who sadly passes away before the movie is done. It's
called The Jackal. And as far as Kevin JarrŽ? His name
is nowhere near the credits, displaced by Chuck Pfarrer, the
genius who brought us Hard Target, Barb Wire and Navy
S.E.A.L.S. Fickle business, huh?
Sony chief John Calley is prepping the studios first Bond movie
for 1999. MGM is suing. Which company is going to get the Goldfinger?
Who knows? Sony's already snuck around MGM and snagged the prize. Now
MGM has Sony in the war room, threatening its life. Soon, Sony will
be hung over a tank of sharks, hog-tied to Sharon Stone in a
string bikini. That watch you're wearing had better be more than a standard
issue Rolex, Mr. Calley.
Anything on that movie mind of yours? E-mail
me your thoughts.
