PolyGram confirmed its status as a rising power in the international industry with the launch yesterday of an impressive new slate from its subsidiary Working Title. At the same time, president of International for PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Stewart Till, confirmed his company's interest in acquiring MGM this summer. "We're not going to pay silly money, but we do want it," he told Moving Pictures.
Among the new titles announced by Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are: The High Low Country, directed by Stephen Frears from a script by veteran Waylon Green (The Wild Bunch), with Martin Scorsese executive producing; Busby's Babes, scripted by Debbie Horsfield (TV's Making Out) and based on the tragic plane crash which decimated the great young Manchester United team in 1958; and a US$60 million live action version of TV favourite The Thunderbirds.
Three more TV-sourced titles are Dr Bean, starring Rowan Atkinson, from a script by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings) with Mel Smith (The Tall Guy) directing, a feature version of the classic children's story The Borrowers, to be directed by Peter Hewitt, and a film based on cult 60s series The Prisoner.
An untitled romantic comedy, a biopic of Elizabeth I and a film about highwaymen ("a period Trainspotting, with one of its stars") are also in the pipeline.
Stewart Till hopes that he will also leave Cannes with two pick-ups: A Life Less Ordinary, the US$13 million drama from the makers of Trainspotting (said to be coveted by Miramax), and the US$70 million The Flood, for which Paramount hold US rights.
Topper Michael Kuhn described the company as being "one hit movie away from the major league. PolyGram has its foot in the door of Hollywood." Nick Thomas and John Hopewell
Today's screening of Pandora's Crimetime is moved to Olympia 1 (instead of 8) Today's screening of PanAsia's The Gentlemen's Club has been cancelled.
Inserted in today's issue is MPI's comprehensive report on facilities and services Down Under/Location: Sydney
In an early Cannes deal, Robert Dornhelm's A Further Gesture starring Stephen Rea and completed last weekend, has sold to Enrique González Macho's Alta Films in Spain.
Miramax Films has acquired Ridicule from PolyGram International for the US, as well as worldwide rights to Cindy Sherman's first film Office Killer.
Silver in action with Decade
In the clearest indication yet of the new reality and future direction the independent film industry will take and its relationship to television, specifically pay-per-view and pay-TV, Joel Silver announced Monday the formation of Decade Entertainment to produce an extensive library of what Silver promises will be "total action related thrillers... independent features that will be as commercial as possible."
Crucially, the Hollywood rumour mill, which had been speculating about the deal, did not focus on the fact that Decade's first five films will premiere in the US on HBO and then go out theatrically after a window of "roughly 45 days". For the rest of the world all rights to the Decade slate are being handled by Kushner-Locke which, given Silver's track record, gives the Gregory Cascante led company the opportunity to compete on the same playing field as other major independents such as Miramax, New Line, Spelling and Largo.
Director Richard Donner will be Silver's partner in the new company and they retain all US domestic television syndication rights. HBO, who's chairman and CEO, Jeff Bewkes, joined Silver and Cascante in Cannes for the announcement, holds pay television rights; Republic Pictures has North American homevideo rights; and New City Releasing will act as Decade's agent for pay-per-view and basic cable. US theatrical rights after the initial HBO screening "could go a couple of ways", Silver said, although Warner looks to be a clear front runner.
The first project is Scott Kalvert's Made Men, set to star Denis Leary.Christopher Pickard
Booby trap: Belgian director Jan Bucquoy woos the Cannes crowd with the help of actress Lolo Ferrari, star of Camping Cosmos, the second part in The Sexual Life of the Belgians trilogy
