Walt Disney Studios has picked up South of the Border, a pitch by television writer Jeff Bushell. John Jacobs is set to produce through his First Entertainment banner. A live-action movie in which the animals will talk, South chronicles the adventures of Mitzi, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua accustomed to riding in a purse. While on a spa vacation in Mexico with her owner, she gets lost and is forced to find her way back home. Louanne Brickhouse is shepherding the project at the studio. South makes the third project that Jacobs has set up in as many months. The other two are the untitled Ricky Blitt project with Todd Phillips at Dimension and Family Reunion at Spyglass with Seth MacFarlane attached to write and direct. One of the executive producers of Anger Management, Jacobs also is producing the Farrelly brothers comedy The Ringer. Bushell was a writer on television's The Bernie Mac Show as well as Mad TV. He is a writer on What I Like About You. In the feature world, he has set up the spec First Bastard at Miramax. He is repped by UTA and Colden, McKuin & Frankel.
- 3/19/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Punk'd stars Dax Shepard and Al Shearer have graduated from their prankster ways on Ashton Kutcher's MTV series to get in business with Fox Searchlight Pictures. The duo have set up an untitled pitch at the studio specialty division based on their own idea, sources confirmed. It will see them star as two guys from different racial backgrounds who come to find out that they are actually brothers who must compete against each other for an inheritance. Searchlight is looking for a scribe to pen the feature. The project falls in line with a slate of other specialty comedies at Searchlight, including the upcoming Johnson Family Vacation, the Johnny Knoxville starrer The Ringer and Broken Lizard's Club Dread. At Searchlight, the untitled pitch is being overseen by senior vp production Julia Dray, vp Lawrence Grey and creative executive Jeff Arkuss. Shepard is lensing the Paramount Pictures comedy Without a Paddle alongside Matthew Lillard and Seth Green. Shearer, who is under contract with MTV to appear on special shows like TRL, has a cameo in the upcoming Honey for Universal Pictures and helmer Bille Woodruff. Both are repped by Endeavor. Shearer is additionally repped by Dolores Robinson Entertainment.
- 11/25/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Katherine Heigl of Roswell fame will star as the female lead opposite Johnny Knoxville in Fox Searchlight Pictures' The Ringer. Barry Blaustein is directing the Farrelly brothers comedy from a script by Ricky Blitt. Ringer, which is lensing in Austin, Texas, finds Knoxville's character posing as a mentally disabled man competing in the Special Olympics in order to pay off a debt and dethrone reigning champ Jimmy. Heigl will star as the love interest of Knoxville's character. Bradley Thomas and John Jacobs are producing, with Peter and Bobby Farrelly serving as executive producers. Heigl most recently starred in MTV's Wuthering Heights. Her other credits include Valentine. She is repped by WMA, the Untitled Entertainment/Parseghian/Planco management outfit and attorney David Krintzman at Barnes, Morris, Klein, Mark, Yorn, Barnes & Levine.
- 11/25/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brian Cox has signed on to reprise his role in The Bourne Supremacy, the sequel to Universal Pictures' The Bourne Identity. Cox will again team with Matt Damon and Franka Potente in the sequel along with Joan Allen and Karl Urban. Paul Greengrass is directing. Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley and Paul L. Sandberg are producing from a script by Tony Gilroy inspired by Robert Ludlum's second novel in the Bourne series. At the same time, Cox has inked a deal to join Johnny Knoxville in the Farrelly brothers comedy The Ringer for Fox Searchlight Pictures. Barry Blaustein is directing from a script by Ricky Blitt. The comedy finds Knoxville's character posing as a mentally disabled man competing in the Special Olympics. Cox will play the uncle of Knoxville's character. The Farrelly brothers' Conundrum Entertainment is producing. Cox, who most recently starred onscreen in X2: X-Men United as William Stryker, recently wrapped a role as Agamemnon in Warner Bros. Pictures' Troy. He is repped by IFA Talent Agency and Lesher Entertainment.
- 11/6/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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