'Mean' man Waters gets double duty
Two more for Waters
July 1, 2004
Director Mark Waters, fresh off the hit "Mean Girls," has lined up two more projects: He is attached to helm "If Only It Were True" for DreamWorks and "The Dice Man" for Paramount Pictures.
Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo are in discussions to topline the DreamWorks project, which is based on the debut novel by Marc Levy. The story centers on a San Francisco architect who discovers in his closet the spirit of a woman who has been comatose for six months in a hospital across town. The two begin an affair, despite the fact that he is the only one who can see her and the only one who can save her body from being taken off life support.
Production executive David Beaubaire is overseeing for the studio. Deals for Witherspoon and Ruffalo are contingent on approval of a new draft of the script, sources said. Both would star in the project without taking producing roles, even though Witherspoon has been an active producer through her Type A production outfit and Ruffalo recently made the move to producing by executive producing the upcoming indie "We Don't Live Here Anymore."
Meanwhile, at Paramount, the long-gestating "Dice Man" got a new lease on life when the studio sparked to Waters' and his brother Dan Waters' take on the cult novel by Luke Rhinehart.
The novel, published in 1971, revolves around a bored psychiatrist, also named Luke Rhinehart, who submits his life's decisions to the roll of a pair of dice. This changes his life, and in some ways changes the world as well. Rhinehart is the pen name of George Cockcroft.
Paramount has held rights for several years, and no producers are attached.
The CAA-repped Dan Waters broke into a screenwriting career with "Heathers." With "Hudson Hawk," "Batman Returns" and "Demolition Man," he became a go-to guy for action movies. In 2001, he wrote and directed the coming-of-age comedy "Happy Campers."
Waters has been busy lining up projects since the modestly budgeted "Mean Girls" grossed $83.5 million. He is attached to direct "The Spiderwick Chronicles" at Paramount as well as "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" for the Walt Disney Co. Repped by CAA, he also directed last year's summer hit "Freaky Friday."
Witherspoon is repped by WMA, Management 360 and attorney Steve Warren, and Ruffalo repped by WMA and manager Robert Stein.
Liza Foreman contributed to this report.
Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo are in discussions to topline the DreamWorks project, which is based on the debut novel by Marc Levy. The story centers on a San Francisco architect who discovers in his closet the spirit of a woman who has been comatose for six months in a hospital across town. The two begin an affair, despite the fact that he is the only one who can see her and the only one who can save her body from being taken off life support.
Production executive David Beaubaire is overseeing for the studio. Deals for Witherspoon and Ruffalo are contingent on approval of a new draft of the script, sources said. Both would star in the project without taking producing roles, even though Witherspoon has been an active producer through her Type A production outfit and Ruffalo recently made the move to producing by executive producing the upcoming indie "We Don't Live Here Anymore."
Meanwhile, at Paramount, the long-gestating "Dice Man" got a new lease on life when the studio sparked to Waters' and his brother Dan Waters' take on the cult novel by Luke Rhinehart.
The novel, published in 1971, revolves around a bored psychiatrist, also named Luke Rhinehart, who submits his life's decisions to the roll of a pair of dice. This changes his life, and in some ways changes the world as well. Rhinehart is the pen name of George Cockcroft.
Paramount has held rights for several years, and no producers are attached.
The CAA-repped Dan Waters broke into a screenwriting career with "Heathers." With "Hudson Hawk," "Batman Returns" and "Demolition Man," he became a go-to guy for action movies. In 2001, he wrote and directed the coming-of-age comedy "Happy Campers."
Waters has been busy lining up projects since the modestly budgeted "Mean Girls" grossed $83.5 million. He is attached to direct "The Spiderwick Chronicles" at Paramount as well as "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" for the Walt Disney Co. Repped by CAA, he also directed last year's summer hit "Freaky Friday."
Witherspoon is repped by WMA, Management 360 and attorney Steve Warren, and Ruffalo repped by WMA and manager Robert Stein.
Liza Foreman contributed to this report.
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