SPIELBERG TAKES "HARVEY" AS NEXT PIC
Source: Variety
Steven Spielberg has committed to his next film, and it will be an adaptation of the Mary Chase Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Harvey," which will be done as a co-production between 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks.
It is the first screenplay by the bestselling novelist Jonathan Tropper.
It is the story of an amiable eccentric, Elwood P. Dowd, and his friendship with a six and one-half foot tall invisible rabbit, and how it affects every member of his family and community. The play won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and was previously turned into the 1950 Universal film that starred Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull.
Project will be produced by Spielberg and Don Gregory, with Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken overseeing for Fox 2000, which acquired the rights in 2008.
"I am very happy to be working again with my friend Tom Rothman who shepherded us through `Minority Report,' and with Elizabeth and Carla, who I'm looking forward to collaborating with," Spielberg said. "DreamWorks has experienced a creative and profitable relationship with 20th Century Fox in the past, and I look forward to renewing that time together."
While DreamWorks has several pictures that Spielberg loves--the Abraham Lincoln project is one--those pictures weren't ready, and Spielberg wanted to get back to work quickly. He has a strong relationship with Rothman, who with his partner Jim Gianopulos worked with Spielberg and his DreamWorks partner Stacey Snider to bring "Harvey" came together in remarkably speedy fashion, with casting and pre-production to begin immediately, and production starting in early 2010.
"Don Gregory entrusted us with these precious rights, Beth Gabler and Carla Hacken developed an exceptional screenplay and Jim and I had the easy part: Deciding to go first, before anyone else, to a filmmaker who combines the mastery of craft, tone, wit and insight that `Harvey' embodies," Rothman said. "Steven Spielberg is film's greatest humanist. And we feel blessed as Elwood himself to be collaborating with him, Stacey, and everyone at DreamWorks.
The picture gets DreamWorks and its new funding and distribution arrangement with Reliance and Disney off the ground in high style. The film will be 50% financed by DreamWorks' backer Reliance, with DreamWorks either getting domestic or international and Fox keeping the other. The DreamWorks distribution and marketing will be handled by Disney through its deal with Spielberg and Snider.
Said Snider: "This is a story relevant for all times, perhaps more so than ever before. We are so pleased to be able, with Fox, to be bringing this to today's audiences."
Tropper's books include "The Book of Joe," "Everything Changes," "Plan B," "How to Talk to a Widower," and his new book, "This is Where I Leave You," will be published this month.
:S
Matt Damon will get the lead role. Just a guess.
Yeah. Coming from Spielberg we pretty much know how this will turn out. Casting is the only factor that could mean a substantial difference, but I doubt Spielberg is gonna surprise anyone there either. I think he will go for Tom Hanks, and him or Matt Damon or pretty much any leading man he's had in the last ten years can be good or even moving but they won't stretch this at all.
Put Phil Hoffman in it, Bill Murray, someone with some edge and it could be actually interesting.
why oh why... the original is a masterpiece. it's on of the very few movies i can put on at night to fall asleep to and mean it as a compliment.
No Harvey for Hanks
By: Mike Fleming; Variety
Tom Hanks won't be the star of `Harvey,' Steven Spielberg's contemporary adaptation of the Mary Chase play.
It was widely speculated that Hanks would be Spielberg's top choice to play Elwood P. Dowd, perhaps because the actor has a likeability factor comparable to Jimmy Stewart, who played the eccentric with the invisible giant rabbit friend in the 1950 film.
While it appears there was a conversation, Hanks and Spielberg won't pursue it because Hanks is so identified with Stewart. The last thing he would want to do is star in a project so closely identified with the actor. Hanks didn't even read the Jonathan Tropper script.
Insiders on the Fox-DreamWorks project said that despite press coverage that has fixated on why Spielberg would remake a film classic, the truth is, the Jonathan Tropper-scripted film that was developed by Fox 2000 is a contemporary story that is much closer in tone to the play than it is to that film.
A Fox spokesman said, `Tom Hanks has not read the script and speculation about him and this project has been inaccurate.'
My dad is a huge old movies film buff. We discussed this remake and he said Tom Hanks was a shoe in because of his charm and comparable age to James Stewart when he made the original. I said Damon was close enough in age where he could do fine for this movie and his charm hadn't been completely used up yet in feel good movies. Damon already did Saving Private Ryan for Speilberg, but he owes his career a Speilberg headliner. The fact it seems like Speilberg wants to rush the production of this film makes me think Damon may be too busy to accept, but still, I'm telling Vegas it will be Damon.
Quote from: MacGuffin on August 06, 2009, 01:18:02 AM
The last thing he would want to do is star in a project so closely identified with the actor.
Well, he already starred in a remake of The Shop Around the Corner...
please no will smith.
Quote from: Alexandro on August 06, 2009, 10:12:21 AM
please no will smith.
and Eddie Murphy plays all the other roles.
Spielberg abandons 'Harvey'
Director withdraws from DreamWorks remake
Source: Variety
Steven Spielberg has withdrawn from "Harvey." He spent the past half year developing the pic, his first directing vehicle for the reconstituted DreamWorks.
Spielberg delivered the news this week to 20th Century Fox, which had earmarked soundstages on the lot for an early 2010 production start. Fox had agreed to have DreamWorks finance 50% of production through its new funding relationship with Reliance, and either distribute domestically or internationally through its arrangement with Disney.
Pic — an adaptation of Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a man who befriends a six and a half foot tall invisible rabbit — has been a challenge to pull together since Spielberg committed last August. One of the biggest challenges has been setting a star to play Elwood P. Dowd, the character played by James Stewart in the 1950 film.
Spielberg's first choice was Tom Hanks, but the actor who is often regarded as a modern day Stewart wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star. Spielberg and Fox spent several months courting Robert Downey Jr. While the star didn't commit, he made suggestions on rewrites of the Jonathan Tropper script. He and Spielberg never found themselves in creative sync on the script, and the director finally called the whole thing off.
A spokesman confirmed Spielberg's exit, but wasn't specific about the reason.
The development is certainly a disappointment for Fox, partly because the project's trajectory last summer was so dramatic. 20th topper Tom Rothman got the script from his Fox 2000 execs Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken, showed it to Spielberg, and had a yes within days.
Fox 2000 will continue working on "Harvey" and could re-approach Spielberg and Downey.
It wasn't immediately clear which picture Spielberg will direct instead. He completed production last March on "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," and though he has been preoccupied with Stacey Snider in launching the new DreamWorks and godfathering projects like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," Spielberg is itching to direct the first film for his new partners at Reliance.
There are several homegrown candidates — he's got such projects at the Abraham Lincoln Civil War film scripted by his "Munich" writer Tony Kushner, and the Jeff Nathanson-scripted "The 39 Clues," but it's clear that Spielberg will be reading a lot of scripts over the holidays.
The Reliance-backed DreamWorks made its first green light, the Shawn Levy-directed Hugh Jackman-starrer "Real Steel."
:bravo: