Fox might turn 'Thirteen,' Paramount looking at 'Leland'
By DANA HARRIS, CATHY DUNKLEY
Sun., Jan. 19, 2003, 5:54pm PT
PARK CITY, Utah -- Bragging rights for the first buy of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival went to Lions Gate Films, which paid $1.5 million for North American rights on "The Cooler," starring William H. Macy.
Fox Searchlight is negotiating for worldwide rights to the teen drama "Thirteen," and Paramount Classics is negotiating for domestic rights on the Kevin Spacey-produced "The United States of Leland," starring Don Cheadle and Ryan Gosling.
"Cooler" director Wayne Kramer wrote the screenplay with Frank Hannah. Macy stars as a casino employee whose mere presence helps turn hot players unlucky. When his own luck changes and he falls in love, he also loses his ability to make losers out of winners. Pic is produced by Sean Furst and Michael Pierce and exec produced by Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Alessandro Camon, Brett Morrison, Robert Gryphon and Joe Madden. William Morris Independent repped the pic.
Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood star in dramatic competition entry "Thirteen," which Catherine Hardwicke co-wrote with the film's 14-year-old co-star, Nikki Reed. It's the story of a quiet West Los Angeles 13-year-old (Wood) who courts the friendship of a popular bad girl (Reed). In short order, the pals are dropping acid, unbuttoning boys' pants, huffing aerosol fumes, dressing like Jenna Jameson and ripping off Melrose Avenue boutiques. Pic's representation of adolescence had auds wiping away tears. "Thirteen" is produced by Jeff Levy-Hinte and Michael London, exec produced by Working Title Films and repped by ICM.
Written and directed by Matthew Ryan Hoge, drama "The United States of Leland" concerns a relationship between a prison teacher (Cheadle) and a teen (Gosling) incarcerated for murdering a young boy. Spacey, Bernie Morris, Palmer West and Jonah Smith produced; Mark Damon is exec producer. WMI reps the pic.
The film most likely to inspire a bidding war is the InDigEnt production "Pieces of April," which received a rapturous response and bids from Miramax Films, United Artists and Focus Features. Starring Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson, the story of a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving was written and directed by Peter Hedges.
Buyers are also circling "The Singing Detective," starring Robert Downey Jr, which divided audiences between those who liked it and those who wanted to walk out. Pic has drawn interest from both Paramount Classics and IFC Films, but no dealmaking could take place over the weekend as Icon Prods. principal Bruce Davey was not in Park City.
Likely to sell later this week are "Party Monster," starring Macaulay Culkin, "dot the i" starring Gael Garcia Bernal, and "The Station Agent," also starring Clarkson.
The docu competition's buzz title is "Capturing the Friedmans," directed by Moviefone founder Andrew Jarecki. Pic is the story of an upper middle-class family whose life is irrevocably changed when the father (a teacher) and his son are accused of multiple counts of sexual molestation.
While the first weekend's film sales proceeded at a healthy pace, the Sundance party scene on Park City's Main Street took on the Bacchanalian tone of a Mardi Gras brought to you by corporate America. Among the brands proud to pay for filmgoers' drinks were Chrysler, Blockbuster Video, Crown Royal, Diesel and Motorola. Since these companies pay to be in the public eye, they also attract an extraordinary number of uninvited guests to town.
On Saturday night, the result was a nearly impassable Main Street.
However, indies are nothing if not creative problem-solvers. One ingenious partygoer crawled across the roof to gain access, while another bum-rushed the same UTA bash at Grappa by crawling under a barricade in the snow.
The 2003 Sundance Film Festival runs through Jan. 26.
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