Father Geek here on only the fifth day of the SXSW 2004 FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL, and I've seen alot of pretty damn good flicks including a group of four very near perfect motion pictures. Though in widely different genres BEFORE SUNSET, JERSEY GIRL, LOVE ME IF YOU DARE, and HELLBOY all rocked the house, a full house too (Austin's 1400 seat PARAMOUNT built in 1915), with thunderous standing ovations, cheers even. Real cinematic treats for the eyes, ears, and emotions of everyone of us in attendance. I can't wait to see each of them again, and then again.

Well, enough of my basking in the reflected glory of these cine-gems' various screenings annnnnd on with the show at hand... Elston's latest edition of our regular weekly column that looks back over the past week's confirmed news stories out of Hollywood. Its time for you to get into...

THE WEEKLY RECAP...

TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

CASTING

* Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis have joined Pierce Brosnan in the black comedy MATADOR for writer/director Richard Shepard, Stratus Film Co. and Irish DreamTime. Set to start shooting next month in Mexico City, the film centers on an unlikely friendship between a globe-trotting assassin and a gullible young suburban couple from Denver.

* Michelle Williams will join Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's cowboy love story BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN for Focus Features. Adapted by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana from a short story by E. Annie Proulx, the story centers on two men who meet one summer as sheepherders in Wyoming and form a bond and love that spans 20 years. The film tracks that time period and their evolving relationship.

* Tommy O'Haver (upcoming ELLA ENCHANTED) will direct MAGICK for DreamWorks and Imagemovers. The plot is being kept under wraps though it's described as a comedy about a man and woman who switch bodies.

* Danny Glover, John C. Reilly and Jeremy Davies will join Bryce Dallas Howard in Lars von Trier's DOGVILLE follow-up MANDERLAY. Shooting is underway at Swedish regional film center Film i Vast in Trollhattan. Isaach De Bankole, Lauren Bacall, Chloe Sevigny, Jean-Marc Barr and Udo Kier also star. The pic, set in the American South during the 1930s, concerns the repression of blacks.

* Matthew McConaughey is set to star in DreamWorks' HAMMER DOWN, about a disgraced NASCAR driver who becomes a wheel man in a heist in the belief that it will get him back on the track.

* Corbin Bernsen joins Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in Warner Bros.' KISS, KISS, BANG, BANG for writer/director Shane Black about a thief who poses as an actor and then teams up with a private eye and a frustrated actress to solve a murder.

* Wesley Snipes, Ryan Phillippe, Jason Statham and Justine Waddell are teaming to star in the action thriller CHAOS for filmmaker Tony Giglio. Production is scheduled to start March 17 in Vancouver. It's described as a bank heist tale of a rookie and veteran cop in pursuit of bank robber who knows too much about the inner workings of the police department.

* Vin Diesel is in talks to star in a third installment of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS for Universal and producer Neal Moritz. Chris Morgan has been hired to pen a script. His concept picks up Diesel's character as a fugitive of the law hiding out in Mexico. Action quickly moves to Tokyo, where he tries to bail out a friend in trouble with gangsters.

* Maria Bello, Drea de Matteo and John Leguizamo will join the ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 remake, also starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne. Jean-Francois Richet is directing the Liaisons Films and Outlaw Pictures' co-production, written by James DeMonaco.

* Cloris Leachman takes over the role of Tea Leoni's mother in James L. Brooks' Columbia comedy SPANGLISH. Anne Bancroft had to bow out due to surgery.

* Kenan Thompson will star in FAT ALBERT for director Joel Zwick and 20th Century Fox. Production is gearing up for a mid-April start with a cast that also includes Omarion as Reggie, Raven-Symone in the animated part of Danielle, Jermaine Williams as Mush Mouth, Jeremy Suarez in the animated role of Russell and Aaron Frazier as Weird Harold.

* Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez will star in AMERICAN DARLINGS, a period drama about a white female swing band that joins forces with a group of black and Hispanic musicians at a time when women were ostracized from playing male-dominated clubs. Those sex barriers shattered soon after President Roosevelt declared war on Japan and the women suddenly played the hottest clubs and even squared off against the Count Basie orchestra at the Apollo Theater. Storyline Entertainment will produce for New Regency.

* Viggo Mortensen is in talks to star in the Spanish period adventure film ALATRISTE as Captain Alatriste, a Spanish soldier-turned-mercenary embroiled in the country's 16th century imperial wars. Gael Garcia Bernal and Elena Anaya are in talks to co-star. Origen P.C. and Estudios Picasso will produce the Spanish-language project written and to be directed by Agustin Diaz Yanes.

* Sarah Jessica Parker is in discussions with DreamWorks about taking a lead role in the studio's remake of THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER. Michael Leeson wrote a version of the script.

* Paris Hilton is in final negotiations to join the cast of Dark Castle Entertainment's HOUSE OF WAX for Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures and director Jaume Collet-Serra.

* Andy Garcia is attached to play the lead in GENESIS CODE, an adaptation of the John Case thriller, for director Hugh Hudson, Bigel/Mailer Films and Morgan Creek/Warner Bros.

* Jennifer Aniston will star in DIARY for Escape Artists at Columbia Pictures. Story concerns a married woman whose diary is stolen and then used against her.

* Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T.) joins Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, Victor Rasuk and Nikki Reed in Catherine Hardwicke's LORDS OF DOGTOWN.

* Morris Chestnut and Eddie Cibrian have joined Cole Hauser in the Lakeshore Entertainment production PRIME EVIL for director Bruce Hunt. The pic centers on a group of hotshot cave divers who get trapped in an underground cave system. They are then forced to battle demonic creatures when they attempt to escape.

* Piper Perabo joins Justin Timberlake, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J, Rachel Spector and Katya Virshilafin in EDISON for Millennium Films/Emmett Furla Films and writer/director David Burke. It's the story of a young journalist who uncovers an elite unit of corrupt cops. Realizing he's in over his head, he makes an uneasy alliance with a burned-out reporter and the district attorney's ace investigator.

* Barbra Streisand is in final talks to join Dustin Hoffman as the parents of Ben Stiller's character in Universal's MEET THE FOCKERS. Shooting begins later this month with Jay Roach directing.

* Charlize Theron is in negotiations to star in CLASS ACTION for director Niki Caro (WHALE RIDER), Warner Bros. and Industry Entertainment. Production is expected to begin in the winter after Theron completes AEON FLUX. Scripted by Michael Seitzman, the pic is a fictionalized version of the Jensen v. Eveleth Mines case. Theron will play Josie Aimes, a young mother who flees an abusive husband during the early '70s, goes to her Minnesota hometown and becomes one of the first women to get jobs in the iron mine that employs most residents, including her father. She and her female co-workers are verbally and physically harassed by their male co-workers. Though she risks being ostracized by her family, Aimes mobilizes defiance through legal action.

* Bruce Dern, Rory Culkin and David Morse have joined the cast of DOWN IN THE VALLEY, starring Edward Norton and Evan Rachel Wood, for writer/director David Jacobson. The story is about a father who must contend with his wild teenage daughter and her dangerous boyfriend.

DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS

* John Crowley (upcoming INTERMISSION) is in talks to direct Working Title Films' adaptation of Joseph O'Connor's historical novel STAR OF THE SEA. Set during the winter of 1847, novel traces the journey of a less-than-seaworthy vessel as it makes a perilous trek from Ireland to New York with hundreds of Irish refugees on board.

* Double Feature Films/Universal Pictures have picked up Casey McCabe's spec script THE GOOD LIFE, described as"a fun female empowerment romantic comedy in the tradition of 9 TO 5 and WORKING GIRL. "

* Scott Fifer will script two upcoming projects for Miramax: a remake of Oscar-nominated Belgian comedy EVERYBODY'S FAMOUS! and PROJECT: BIGFOOT, a wish-fulfillment family adventure set in the world of monster trucks.

* Nick Pustay (AMERICAN PRINCESS) will adapt Mission Entertainment's adaptation of Christopher Moore's comedy novel LAMB, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST'S CHILDHOOD PAL. Novel tells the story of Biff, Christ's cantankerous but likable best friend, who is resurrected for the purpose of writing a new gospel to help recapture the youth market that has seen a dramatic decline in recent centuries.

* Gary Ross' Larger Than Life will produce an animated feature adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Award-winning novel TALE OF DESPEREAUX: BEING THE STORY OF A MOUSE, A PRINCESS, SOME SOUP AND A SPOOL OF THREAD. Universal has acquired the book and set DiCamillo to write the script.

* Billy Ray (SHATTERED GLASS) will rewrite and Adam Mazer will direct Universal's THE 11th HOUR, the story of Robert Hanssen, the traitorous FBI agent who sold government secrets to the Soviet Union.

* Terrence Malick will now direct his script THE NEW WORLD, a New Line drama about Pocahontas and the cultural collision of European explorers and Native American tribes. Colin Farrell has committed to play the explorer John Smith in the project, which has set a July production start date in Virginia. Malick will now direct CHE July 2005 instead of 2004 as previously planned, and figured that project could use more preproduction time for its Bolivian shoot.

* Filmmaker John Walter (HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY) is teaming with John Malkovich's production company Mr. Mudd on an adaptation of Lawrence Joseph's novel LAWYERLAND, which Walter will write and direct. The company optioned the film rights to LAWYERLAND: WHAT LAWYERS TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT LAW from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The novel chronicles Manhattan lawyers and lawyer-speak in the late 1990s. Book is divided into eight chapters, each devoted to a specific legal specialty and practitioner.

* Halcyon Entertainment and Dan Redler Entertainment are teaming up to produce Edward Cass' script BREAKBACK for Millennium Films. Action/thriller centers around an inmate at a high-security prison who is forced to break out of prison, pull off a heist and break back in to substantiate his alibi -- all a day before his release.

* Warner Bros. Pictures has snapped up the script THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE for Heyday Films to produce. Written by Cory Helms and Jamie Linden, the script tells the story of a man in his thirties who finds out that he is dying from an inoperable brain tumor. He sets out with his lifelong but estranged friend to fulfill a list of things they wanted to do before they die, a list they made when they were 19.

* Gus Van Sant is set to direct Michael Pitt in LAST DAYS, a film loosely inspired by events in the Northwest rock 'n' roll scene during the mid-1990s, for HBO Films. Lukas Haas is in talks to join Pitt in the project.

* Writer/producer Curt Johnson (upcoming WEST MEMPHIS THREE) has optioned life rights to develop a feature from the story of 1990s boxing star Tommy Morrison (ROCKY V), who was forced into retirement as a result of testing positive for HIV. In addition to life rights, Johnson secured rights to two ESPN magazine articles by Tom Friend about Morrison in 1998 and 2003, which chronicled not only the heavyweight champion's professional career and his controversial choice to avoid protease inhibitor treatment, but also his tough origins, breaking heads for the Irish mob at 15 and torching the school baseball field after being cut from the team by his coach. Johnson will pen the screenplay and will produce through his Indie Genius Prods. banner with Gigi Gaston.

* Matinee Pictures has purchased Michael Stokes' horror script NIGHTFALL about two buddies who snatch a woman who turns out to be a vampire queen. Her authenticity is questioned by the kidnappers until her vampire legion sets out to get her back.

* Steve Conrad will write the adaptation of Chang-Rae Lee's novel ALOFT for producer Scott Rudin. The story centers on an aging baby boomer who must hold together his fractured family.

* Matt Nix will adapt SENSEI, a novel by author John Donohue, for Freestyle Pictures. It's a crime thriller set in the world of martial arts. It revolves around a Brooklyn cop who has to team up with his estranged brother to solve a series of murders involving martial arts masters across the United States.

* Mark Frost ("Twin Peaks) is in final talks with Disney to write ELECTRIC BOY GENIUS for Mayhem Pictures. It's the true story of Ryan Patterson, who before he went to kindergarten was wiring his family's house. By the first grade, Patterson was building complex robots. Under a mentor's encouragement, the boy invented gadgets that would change people's lives, like an electronic sign-language translator.

* Morgan Creek picked up Ray Wright's script CASE 39, a psychological horror story follows a social worker trying to rescue a young girl from abusive parents but who begins to suspect the girl may not be so innocent after all.

* Mike Werb and Michael Colleary (FACE/OFF) will script a remake of PET SEMATARY, based on Stephen King's story, for Alphaville.

* Bernard Rose (IVANSXTC) will direct his script MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA, which is described as a roller coaster horror movie that takes the concept of reality TV to an extreme limit.

* Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn's family comedy script MAKING DADDY A MAN will be made into a feature by Senator Intl. It's a high-concept comedy is about a teenage girl whose widowed dad fills the role of both mother and father for his daughter.

* Tim Fywell has come aboard to direct Michelle Trachtenberg in ICE PRINCESS for Disney Pictures. It's about a young girl who realizes her dream of becoming a champion figure skater while battling a disgraced coach, stage parents and three competing ice princesses.

* Corey Yuen has signed up to direct DEAD OR ALIVE (aka DOA), based on the videogame, for Impact Pictures. J.F. Lawton (UNDER SIEGE) wrote the script.

* Hideo Nakata (RINGU) will replace director Noam Murro on THE RING 2 for DreamWorks. Ehren Kruger scripted.

* Ken Kwapis will direct Amber Tamblyn ("Joan of Arcadia") in SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, based on the best-selling novel by Ann Brashares. It's the coming-of-age story centers on four friends during the first summer they are separated from one another. They vow to keep in touch by circulating a magical pair of secondhand jeans that fits each of them perfectly.

* Jim Krieg is set to write two projects at Warner Bros. Pictures: AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS, a high-concept fantasy script he'll rewrite; and HOME SCHOOL, a pitch from Krieg that he will co-write with scribe Lon Diamond. Set during a teachers strike that closes down the local school, the story centers on a father who becomes a teacher to his own bickering children.

MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS

* Killer Films has optioned rights to develop a feature from author Brad Land's GOAT, the shocking memoir of Land's experience as a psychologically shattered 19-year-old struggling to bounce back from a brutal attack. In a desperate attempt to belong, he followed his younger brother to pledge a fraternity at Clemson U., where the barbaric humiliation and intimidation rituals of latenight hazing tested the already fragile bond between the brothers and led to the death of a fellow pledge before prompting the author to walk away and reclaim himself.

* Mark Burnett has optioned the rights to THE DA VINCI LEGACY and DAUGHTER OF GOD, a pair of novels from scribe Lewis Perdue that explore the connections between the art world and Christian theology. Burnett -- who has been looking to move into the feature world -- snapped up the books with an eye on developing them as features.

* Author Judy Blume, filmmaker Lawrence Blume and producer Jane Startz, have pacted with Walt Disney Studios to develop and produce films based on Blume's books including ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET, BLUBBER, SUPERFUDGE and OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SHEILA THE GREAT.

* MTV Films and Maverick Films have jointly acquired feature film rights to the upcoming novel TWILIGHT from author Stephanie Meyer. The high school-set novel centers on Bella, who falls in love with a vampire. The new couple leads a rival vampire clan to pursue them and attempt to force her to decide if she, too, wishes to become one of the undead.

* Platinum Studios will develop live-action feature film UNLEASHED, based on characters from Myatt Murphy's graphic novel and comic series TWO OVER TEN. The story follows a man with an uncontrollable affliction that causes things he touches to explode. He's forced to go on the run from authorities and a ruthless enemy intent on harnessing his destructive power.

* Universal Pictures is moving its release date for CINDERELLA MAN to March 18, 2005, from the Dec. 17, 2004 slot.

* Red Eagle Entertainment has optioned the feature rights to Robert Jordan's 11-book series THE WHEEL OF TIME and will initially work to produce an adaptation of the first novel, THE EYE OF THE WORLD.

GUNN SHOTS

(NOT from the trades)

* Jean Reno is said to be working on EMPIRE OF THE WOLVES, continuing the same character of his two CRIMSON RIVERS films.

* Paul Kell's 5 SIDES OF THE COIN, a feature-length documentary clocking the international culture of Hip-Hop, will screen at the SWSX festival on March 18 at 2pm. For more info on the film, visit http://www.7thart.com/current/five/sides.html

* Raider Production, just sending a short e-mail to let you know that, "The World's Best Independent Animated Shorts" website is now online at http://www.wbias.com. If you have any animated short films that you would like to submit please go to the wbias submissions page for further information.

* Check out Tim Mewton's short film HOLLYWOOD BHANGRA, which blends Hollywood with Bollywood, at http://www.timmewton.com/hollywoodbhangra/

* Palm/Arthouse's latest release, How to Draw a Bunny is a 90 minute feature film about the artist Ray Johnson. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and the Prix de Public at the famed Recontre Film Festival in Paris, How to Draw a Bunny was also named one of the 10 Best documentaries of last year in the Village Voice annual critic's poll and nominated for a 2003 IFP Spirit Award for Best Documentary. Find out more here: http://www.howtodrawabunny.com/

* Austin filmmakers Bryan Poyser and Jacob Vaughan's DEAR PILLOW will screen in Austin at the SXSW Film Festival at these times: Wed., Mar. 17, 2:30pm, Austin Convention Center, 4th & Trinity Fri., Mar. 19, 7:30pm. The film is a dark coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old supermarket bagboy who tries to get a job writing for an adult magazine. To see a trailer, go to: http://www.dearpillow.com

* The new (expanded) dates for Telluride IndieFest 2004 are now: August 31 - September 5. To enter, please go to: http://tellurideindiefest.com

Until next week...

Elston Gunn

elstongunn@hotmail.com