Mr.Showbiz.com posted February 5, 2000
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Steven
Soderbergh just might be the hottest director in Hollywood. Sure,
Out of Sight and The Limey didn't set any box office records, but
now it seems every big name in the business is looking to work with
the guy who turned out those stylish flicks. The list of stars aspiring to join George Clooney in Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 remake include Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, and Mike Myers. And another |
| Soderbergh project,
Traffic, is attracting names like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Harrison
Ford, even though it's still in turnaround. Whether it's the glamour of stepping into a Frank Sinatra remake or Soderbergh's hipness, an all-star lineup for Ocean's 11 is deemed likely. Pitt's already met with the director, reports Variety, and his role — possibly the one Dean Martin held in the original — is being beefed up. The other megastars mentioned would of course have to take a pay cut, not to mention making some marquee concessions to squeeze into the same square of celluloid. Pitt is also eyeing a much smaller than usual payday for Urban Townies, which is budgeted at $15 million, less than the buffed blond's fee for Fight Club. Another star willing to take less money for indie cred, Harrison Ford. The Indiana Jones star just signed with UTA to get close to hot directors and quirkier scripts. Soderbergh's Traffic, a Nashville-like ensemble about the drug trade, might just fit the bill. According to Variety, Ford is being courted for the biggest role in the ensemble, a U.S. drug czar heading a crackdown on Mexican border traffic who later discovers his own teenage daughter is an addict. The va-va-voom Catherine Zeta-Jones is also attached to star. If Ford does sign on, the film could easily leapfrog past Ocean's 11 on the production schedule. Potential Oceans co-star Julia Roberts and Soderbergh have already teamed on Erin Brockovich, which we're assessing as more a star vehicle for the pretty woman than a "Steven Soderbergh film." |