In the best news to hit the Bond franchise since Timothy Dalton was fired, "Wild Things" nymphet Denise Richards has been cast as the next Bond girl in the as-yet-untitled 19th James Bond adventure.
According to Variety, Richards, also known for her wholesomely sexy turn in Paul Verhoeven's Nazi-big bug-T&A fest "Starship Troopers," will play a nuclear scientist who, um, assists Pierce Brosnan's Bond in whatever it is he happens to be doing in the film.
In the tradition of great, improbable Bond girl names like Pussy Galore and Honey Rider, Richards' will heretofore come to be known as Dr. Christmas Jones - she didn't spend four years in sexed-up, pouty-lipped medical school for nothing.
In other casting news, M.I.A. "Clueless" beauty Alicia Silverstone will star in a '30s musical-style retelling of Shakespeare's "Love's Labour Lost," to be written and directed by the the suddenly mainstream Kenneth Branagh, as reported by Mr. Showbiz.
Branagh, who will be the villain in next summer's Will Smith blockbuster "Wild, Wild West," will also star in the film, along with Nathan Lane, "Scream"'s killer Matthew Lillard, and "Primary Colors" protagonist Adrian Lester.
Also set to write, direct, and star in a film is Edward Norton, who will be featured opposite Ben Stiller in Norton's directorial debut, "Keeping the Faith," as featured on Mr. Showbiz online.
The comedy follows two childhood friends, one a celibate priest (Norton) and the other a Rabbi (Stiller) both finding their religious lives compromised by their mutual lust for a gentile babe, a role that is presently uncast.
The much sought-after female lead in the adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' "American Psycho," on the other hand, has gone to "Last Days of Disco" ingenue Chloe Sevigny, according to Entertainment Weekly Online.
Once budgeted at $40 million and slated to star the ubiquitous Leo, the Mary Harron film now features Christian Bale, last seen in "Velvet Goldmine," as the ultimate yuppie scum and will cost about $10 million. Shooting is scheduled to begin in the spring.
Another daring film on the way is the Coen Brothers' "To The White Sea," according to Ain't It Cool News. Taken from the James Dicky novel about a tailgunner on a B-29 who gets downed over Japan, the film is going to be dialogue free.
As the Coen Brothers create nostalgia for the days of silent films, Bruce Springsteen created nostalgia for the '80s by announcing Tuesday that he was getting the E Street Band back together. Even though the band has not played together since the '88-89 Amnesty International "Human Rights Now" concerts. It just makes you feel good to be born in the U.S.A., doesn't it?
- Compiled by Bryan Lark and Ed Sholinsky from Entertainment Weekly and Mr. Showbiz.
12-11-98
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