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Tuesday, March 6, 2001
Shooting puts Stiles film in doubt
Monday's high school shooting near San Diego may prove to be another setback for a modern-day movie retelling of Shakespeare's "Othello."
Variety reports that actor-director Tim Blake Nelson ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?") completed his film, "O." in the summer of 1999. But his version of "Othello," with Julia Stiles ("Save The Last Dance"), Mekhi Phifer ("Shaft"), Josh Hartnett (The Virgin Suicides"), and Martin Sheen ("The West Wing"), has sat idle ever since.
The problem is that Nelson set the updated "Othello" in a high school. And, true to Shakespeare's original story, the story climaxes in a blood-bath.
The film was first screened for Miramax and Dimension Films executives in June 1999, just a month after the Columbine shootings. It was then pushed back to October 1999, but was again delayed once Democratic candidates Al Gore and Joe Lieberman campaigned on a plan to clean up Hollywood, Variety said.
"'O' is a movie that deals with sensitive issues that are important in our country," Miramax boss Bob Weinstein said in a November interview with newspaper The New York Observer.
"Therefore, we felt the responsible thing was to postpone the release ... due to the sensitive events occurring at that time. We are presently formulating the proper marketing plan for the film that deals with the social issues, and are looking for the proper release date in the calendar year 2001."
When contacted by Variety Monday about the impact the San Diego shooting will have on "O.'s" planned release, Dimension spokeswoman Elizabeth Clark told Variety: "We are not commenting on the release of the film, given the unfortunate incident that occurred today in San Diego. What happened there is a very serious issue. The release of our movie is minor in comparison. We extend our sympathies to the families of all the children involved."
Meanwhile, Stiles, hot off the success of "Save The Last Dance," has signed a development deal with Paramount Pictures, which will allow her to develop her own starring vehicles and receive a production credit.
"She's a great young actress who is very intelligent, has a good development sense and who wants some control over the pictures she stars in,'' David Gale, head of Paramount-owned MTV Films, told Variety.
"After the great success and synergy between us and Paramount on 'Save the Last Dance,' it seemed a good idea to find ways in which we could all work together again."
Stiles is no stranger to generating her own stories. In 1998, when she was only 16, she participated in the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab to develop "The Anarchist's Daughter," which she co-wrote, Variety said. (More on Julia Stiles)
--AllPop
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