Dennis Hopper to star in Crash
Dennis Hopper is set to star in the new original series Crash, produced by Starz and Lionsgate. This is the first drama series for the network. Based on the Academy Award-winning movie, Crash has begun filming in New Mexico and Los Angeles. Sanford Bookstaver (Jericho, Bones, The O.C.) will direct the premiere episode.
According to the press release, the show “will continue to focus on an ensemble cast of characters” and “will explore the complexities of social tolerance in contemporary America by digging at the meaning of what it takes to reach the American dream.” Hopper will play Ben, a veteran, maverick producer in the music biz who is looking for his last big score. Other stars include Clare Carey, Luis Chavez, Ross McCall, Jocko Sims, Brian Tee, and Arlene Tur. Crash will come to Starz in October.
Watch your backs, HBO and Showtime! This show looks good. And Paul Haggis is on the team of executive producers. He didn’t just give us Crash. He gave us thirtysomething and The Black Donnellys. Don’t mess with the Hag.
One Less Crash Casualty On the Books
It's really hard to keep track of all the lawsuits that sprung from the loins of Crash, the 2005 Oscar winner for Best Picture, but at least another one has been relegated to the annals of Hollywood history.
Financier Bob Yari, who due to Industry rules was removed as a coproducer on the film, has reached a tentative settlement with the law firm that represented him in two Crash-related suits and then hit him up for nearly $400,000 in fees.
Legal eagles for the firm of Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro filed a motion to dismiss Monday.
Details of the proposed deal were not made available. Yari hired the firm in 2006 when he sued the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to challenge the loss of his production credit. (A judge dismissed the complaint in January 2007.)
The firm fought for Yari again when Crash producers Cathy Schulman (who along with director Paul Haggis did accept a statuette in the film's honor) and Tom Nunan sued him for allegedly withholding profits, and again when Yari sued them for supposedly failing to reimburse him for various investments. All of this back-and-forth litigation is scheduled to go to trial June 30.
Obviously, someone's taking Crash's tangled-web metaphor way too seriously.
Crash gears up with cast
Shortly after the release of 2005’s Crash in theaters, I remember reading that a TV series based on the film was in the works. I even pitched the story to a TV trade magazine, but the editor didn’t go for it. She must have guessed the show would be years in the works, and she was right.
Three years later, a TV series is finally starting to gain some steam. The Hollywood Reporter just posted a story that five actors have joined the cast of the series produced by Don Cheadle, Paul Haggis (pictured), Mark R. Harris, Robert Moresco, Tom Nunan, and Bob Yari, all of whom were involved with the movie. Produced by Lionsgate, the series is anticipated to premiere on Starz in 2009.
Here’s a rundown on the actors who’ve just signed. It’s interesting that most of these folks are not big-name actors, which I find refreshing in an era where many mega-movie stars are crossing over into TV:
Luis Chavez will play Cesar, a poor immigrant who embarks on a grueling journey to America. Chavez was most recently seen on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He played Morris in three episodes: Vick’s Chip, What He Beheld, and Queen’s Gambit.
Arlene Tur will play Bebe, a former actress who became an LAPD officer after researching a role and falling in love with police work. Tur has had bit parts here and there, including one episode of Grey’s Anatomy in 2006. She also appeared in the 2007 film Final Engagement.
Ross McCall will play Kenny, a cop more interested in joyriding than paperwork. The Hollywood Reporter story isn’t clear on this, but if it’s the Ross McCall I think it is, he’s had bit parts on Bones, Ghost Whisperer (last I heard, he was engaged to Jennifer Love Hewitt), and CSI: NY. He was also seen in 2001’s Band of Brothers.
Brian Tee will play Eddie, a Korean-American immigrant who became an EMT. Tee has landed parts on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, JAG, Without a Trace, Entourage, and Jericho.
Jocko Sims will play Anthony, the driver for a successful music producer. Sims has had parts on NYPD Blue, The Shield, CSI, and Private Practice. He’s also been seen in several films, including Jarhead and Dreamgirls.
I’ll definitely be tuning in, as I thought the film was one of the better offerings in 2005.
Think the series will be as good as the movie? Or did you even like the movie?
Starz first series will be Crash
Starz, the cable network, is getting into original production and their first project will be based on the 2005 Best Picture Oscar-winning film Crash. Glen Mazzara, whose credits include Life, The Shield, Stand-Off and Nash Bridges, has been named executive producer/showrunner for the drama series. Lionsgate TV will co-produce with Starz, and they’ve greenlighted 13 episodes.
The controversial film, which dealt with the intersecting lives of a myriad of people living in Los Angeles in just 48 hours, centers on the character of Detective Graham Waters. Waters, a police detective, is struggling with his career, his drug addict mother and a criminal brother. The role was played by Don Cheadle (Picket Fences), who was also one of the film’s producers. He is expected to reprise the part in the Starz production and may even direct a few episodes. In addition, director/co-writer/producer Paul Haggis and others from the film are also on board for Starz.
Mazzara is enthused about the project and has already been working on scripts. “I was very intrigued with the idea of doing a character-based drama set in Los Angeles that revolved around explosive moments in people’s lives that came out of seemingly mundane events,” he said.
With the variety of character introduced in the film, Crash would seem a very viable TV series. In fact, it might be better as a show because there is more time — whole episodes — which could be devoted to one story thread or another.
Haggis has been a big success in features, contributing scripts for Casino Royale, In the Valley of Elah and Million Dollar Baby, has been less so with his TV efforts. His last series was The Black Donnellys, an NBC drama that crashed and burned last year.