RING AROUND THE SEQUEL
With no signs that the horror craze is abating, DreamWorks is moving forward on its third installment of "The Ring."
No writer has been hired, but producer Walter Parkes has confirmed that "Ring 3" is being developed and that the new film will be made on a smaller scale than the first two.
Those films, both of which starred Naomi Watts, were in the $60 million range.
The new "Ring" will be "by its very nature a small, intimate movie," Parkes said at a press junket for DreamWorks' summer tentpole "The Island."
The first "Ring," released in 2002, grossed $129 million domestically. "Ring 2," which unspooled earlier this year, took in $75 million.
Watts will likely not star this time around. Instead, pic will be told from the point of view of another character who also has the misfortune of sliding the infamous videotape into the VCR.
Or, who knows -- maybe this time DreamWorks will update to a DVD.
Patrick Stewart Rushed To Hospital with Chest Pains
Former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Patrick Stewart was rushed to the hospital yesterday after suffering chronic chest pains while shooting a new science fiction TV show. The 64-year-old halted filming of British miniseries Eleventh Hour and asked a crew member to take him to the Manchester Royal Infirmary, after suffering a heart scare. But doctors gave him an Electrocardiogram and concluded his heart was healthy, so he returned to the set three hours later. A spokeswoman for production company Granada TV says, "Patrick is absolutely fine and is back on set working." An insider adds, "Patrick has been working very hard in recent weeks, because the filming schedule is really tight. The director suggested he go for a check-up just in case."
Miss Canada Is Crowned 2005 Miss Universe
BANGKOK, Thailand - Miss Canada, Natalie Glebova, was crowned Miss Universe in the 54th annual pageant held in the Thai capital of Bangkok. The brunette from Toronto was chosen over Miss Puerto Rico Cynthia Olavarria.
The two were among five contestants selected to answer questions onstage in the final round of the competition. The others were from Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
Glebova, 23, was asked what she considered the biggest challenge of her life. She said it was remaining optimistic.
"I always try to maintain a positive outlook on life," she said.
Earlier, the 12-judge panel narrowed the field of 81 contestants to 15, then 10 as the Miss Universe hopefuls modeled evening gowns and swimsuits.
During the event broadcast live, hosts introduced the contestants, judges and last year's winner, Australia's Jennifer Hawkins.
Thailand hopes that hosting the pageant will boost the country's tourism sector, which was badly hurt by last December's tsunami.
Contestants, who arrived in Thailand about three weeks ago, have visited tsunami-struck areas along the southern coastline and historic Buddhist temples around Bangkok.
They have also driven the country's famous three-wheeled motorcycle taxis, called tuk-tuks, and ridden atop elephants — Thailand's national symbol.
'Star Wars' Tops Box Office With $70.75M
LOS ANGELES - Payback for the Sith has meant a real payday at the box office.
"Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" beat two strong newcomers to remain the top movie with $70.75 million over the long Memorial Day weekend, though Hollywood again failed to climb out of a prolonged revenue decline.
Debuting in second place was the animated adventure "Madagascar" with $61 million, while Adam Sandler's football remake, "The Longest Yard," opened a close third with $60 million, according to studio estimates Monday.
Despite the two big debuts and a strong hold for "Revenge of the Sith" in its second weekend, theatrical receipts overall were down for the 14th straight weekend compared with last year.
The top 12 movies grossed $225.5 million, an impressive four-day haul but still 5.5 percent behind last year's record Memorial Day weekend, when "Shrek 2" and "The Day After Tomorrow" alone combined for $181 million in grosses between them.
"On the one hand, yeah, 14 weeks, that's a terrible slump," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "But I'm optimistic, because this weekend proves you can still get a heck of a lot of people in theaters with the right movies.
"It takes a lot more to excite people today, and the crop of movies this year other than `Star Wars' and the movies that opened this weekend haven't inspired audiences to make that step and go to the theaters."
The final installment of George Lucas' "Star Wars" saga grossed $271.2 million domestically in its first 12 days, putting it on pace to soar beyond the $310 million total for its predecessor, "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones."
"Revenge of the Sith" may be on track to approach the $431 million domestic haul of "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released the "Star Wars" films.
As with "Titanic," the modern box-office champ that brought young girls back to the theater to see it again and again, "Revenge of the Sith" is drawing strong repeat business among young males.
"We've got a lot of kids who already have this picture four and five times," Snyder said.
Worldwide through Sunday, "Revenge of the Sith" had taken in $504.4 million since its almost simultaneous debut in most countries beginning May 18.
"Madagascar," featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer as pampered zoo animals cut loose in the wild, plugged a hole among parents eager for a movie to take the kids to see.
"There was a pent-up desire for family pictures," said Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks, which released "Madagascar."
"The Longest Yard," an update of the 1974 tale of prison inmates taking on their sadistic guards in a football grudge match, was a key choice for young males, who make up the bulk of Sandler's audience.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," $70.75 million.
2. "Madagascar," $61 million.
3. "The Longest Yard," $60 million.
4. "Monster-in-Law," $11.1 million.
5. "Kicking & Screaming," $6.6 million.
6. "Crash," $6 million.
7. "The Interpreter," $2.6 million.
8. "Unleashed," $2.3 million.
9. "Kingdom of Heaven," $2.2 million.
10. "House of Wax," $1.6 million.
MIDAS TOUCHED
The real-life exploits of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may be drawing headlines, but for an equally fascinating Hollywood drama, consider what went on behind the cameras during the long and costly struggle to bring "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" to the screen.
The movie was delayed and rewritten numerous times. Its stars' entanglements were splashed all over the tabloids. It went so far over budget that the studio demanded producers "stop the monetary hemorrhaging."
Yet for all that, 20th Century Fox thinks "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" will be a hit when it opens June 10 - another notch in the belt of director Doug Liman, who is notorious for presiding over disastrous productions that somehow emerge triumphant.
"The truth is, Doug is a madman," says Akiva Goldsman, the Oscar-winning writer of "A Beautiful Mind"), who also produced "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
"[But] I think he has the ability, which is not insignificant, to have a movie coalesce around him. Actors want to work with him and studios want the product that exists with his name on it."
During a break from last-minute work on the film, Liman winces when he hears that Goldsman has called him a madman.
"I'm an unusual person," Liman acknowledges. But in every case, he says, "The movie I end up with is the movie I aspired to make."
Blue-eyed and rumpled, Liman is something of a filmmaking phenomenon. He remains affable — and successful — even as he drives colleagues to distraction and his films run significantly over schedule and over budget.
Some say he suffers from indecision and lack of focus so profound that his films were finished more in spite of him than because of him.
"I stepped into territory I've never been in before in 30 years," says Frank Marshall, who produced Liman's previous film, "The Bourne Identity."
"I've always had a respect for the line between a producer and a director. And I had to step over that line into something that I feel is the director's responsibility."
But even Marshall concedes that Liman has great ideas and that his films all share a fresh, distinctive visual style.
That started with the 1996 indie hit "Swingers," which introduced Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn to the world. Liman then made "Go," a small but well-received 1999 picture about the aftermath of a drug deal.
Reports of trouble surfaced on the next film, "The Bourne Identity," which nonetheless spawned a mighty franchise.
Several individuals who worked on "The Bourne Identity" — which went about $10 million over its $55 million budget — say it went off track in part because Liman constantly changed his mind about what he would do on any given day.
"He never knew what he wanted to do," says Marshall. "He would reshoot some scenes four or five times because he had a new idea. It was 'Let me see the footage and I'll decide whether I like it or not.' "
On "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," history seemed to repeat itself. The film — an action comedy about two hired assassins who are married to each other — went over schedule in part, Liman says, because Pitt had to leave in the middle to meet his commitment to appear in "Ocean's Twelve." He was gone for three months.
It took nearly two years to get the film made. The picture started shooting in January 2004 and didn't wrap until this past April.
According to a source involved in the production, the budget — originally set at just over $100 million — swelled to $126 million.
Pitt, who would not comment for this article, was said to have become exasperated with the drawn-out production. According to one story making the rounds, when Liman, at one point, urged Pitt to deliver more emotion in his performance, the actor pointed out that Liman was shooting the back of his head.