Movie Scene
Attacks force Hollywood to postpone flicks

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"Big Trouble," starring Tim Allen, second from left, had been scheduled to open today but was postponed because the plot involves a suitcase bomb ending up on an airplane. Buena Vista

Only two major films opened across the country last weekend: Paramount's "Hardball," a youth basketball drama starring Keanu Reeves and Diane Lane, and Columbia's thriller "The Glass House," starring Leelee Sobieski. One reason these films weren't pulled was that the advertising and promotional campaigns were so far along and it would have been very difficult and costly for the studios to withdraw them.

But there have been many other films affected by the tragic events that took place Sept. 11. Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co., said that release schedules change all the time, so in terms of the number of films that have been shuffled, this is nothing significant. In fact, he says the only thing that is unusual about this is that some very big films have been suddenly postponed or moved within a couple of weeks of their release date.

Still, other entertainment executives acknowledge that they now find themselves rethinking longer-range projects — and some are reassessing the industry's reliance on bombs-blazing action pics and programs altogether.

"In the last decade, special effects have become so sophisticated and we've witnessed bigger and better explosions," notes Gregg Kilday, film editor of the Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment trade paper. "Mostly, there was no real emotional connection.

"I just can't imagine that anyone who was near the World Trade Center on Tuesday is going to want to go into a movie theater and watch a building being destroyed. And by extension, all of us in front of our TV sets were near that building."

For those who had been developing projects involving terrorism, last week's devastating real-life images of jets crashing into skyscrapers and Manhattanites fleeing for their lives means "you officially have no career right now," says Jon Cohen, screenwriter of "Minority Report," a 2002 futuristic cop thriller with Tom Cruise and being directed by Steven Spielberg.

"I don't espouse censorship," Cohen said. But "if this terrible moment puts a chill on giving audiences the violent rush of fireballs and crashes, fine by me."

In alphabetical order, the following is a list of films which have recently been shuffled around or seen their marketing changed in some way.

"Big Trouble" — This ensemble comedy was to open today, but Touchstone pictures has postponed it until next year. Based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed humorist Dave Barry, the film stars Tim Allen, Janeane Garofalo, Jason Lee, Rene Russo and Tom Sizemore. It tells the story of how a suitcase bomb ends up on a plane, brings together a group of strangers and changes their lives forever.

"Collateral Damage" — Warner Brothers Pictures indefinitely postponed the release of this Arnold Schwarzenegger political action thriller out of respect for the victims and their families. Originally scheduled to be released Oct. 5, the film tells the story of a man whose wife and child are killed by Colombian guerrillas in a terrorist bombing. The man becomes obsessed with finding the killer and goes to Columbia to seek out justice. There he teams up with the wife of the terrorist. The studio also announced it will pull back and cancel the film's promotional posters, ads and Web site. No new release date has been scheduled.

"In Search of Peace, Part 1: 1948-1967" — Before 7th Art Releasing had been able to contact its theaters in New York, the distributor had postponed the Sept. 28 release of this documentary until further notice. But finally after getting word last Thursday that their theater was intact and open for business, the film went back on the slate to be released as scheduled. The film chronicles the first two decades of Israel's existence by combining archival photos and footage to provide new insights on the origins of the Middle East conflict. Narrated by Michael Douglas, this is a sequel to "The Long Way Home," the 1997 Academy Award-winning film for Best Documentary.

"The Last Castle" — Although DreamWorks hasn't shifted the Oct. 12 release date for this prison drama, it has pulled its national ad campaign because it features an upside-down American flag — which is a universal symbol of distress. A spokeswoman said the campaign will be altered to feature the film's stars, Robert Redford and James Gandolfini.

"Men In Black 2" — Sony's Columbia Pictures and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment will change the ending to this sci-fi comedy, scheduled for a July 3, 2002, release, because it involves the World Trade Center. A Sony spokesperson told Variety that it will review all footage shot so far and either excise out, reshoot or revise via CGI or matting any scenes that show the now-obliterated twin towers.

"Nosebleed" — The script for this MGM action-comedy starring Jackie Chan will be the recipient of several major revisions. Although production hasn't begun, the initial plan had been for Chan to play a window washer for the World Trade Center who ends up battling terrorists atop the Empire State Building. Producers say the story will be changed to eliminate the similarities to the recent real-life tragedies.

"Sidewalks of New York" — Paramount Classics, a niche-picture division of Paramount Pictures, postponed the release of "Sidewalks of New York" — originally slated for release today — until sometime in November. Although the Ed Burns-directed romantic comedy does not contain themes of violence or terrorism, a company spokesperson said the studio simply felt it was inappropriate to release the picture now.

"Spider-Man" — Sony will recall the trailers and posters for this mega-budget, super-hero action film because it features the World Trade Center's twin towers. In the trailer, Spider-Man foils a bank robbery by stringing up a helicopter on a spider web between the two massive towers. A studio spokesperson said the changes won't affect the film's May 3, 2002, release date, however, because the footage was never intended to be used in the film.

"Swordfish" — Theater owners in Britain have stopped running the Warner Brothers action movie "Swordfish," which features the lead character (played by John Travolta) detonating a powerful bomb in a hostage situation. The few exhibitors that pulled the film out of their theaters did so out of respect for the tragic, real-life events taking place, said a company spokesperson.

"Training Day" — Warner Brothers Pictures changed the release date of its police drama "Training Day" from today to Oct. 5. The film stars Denzel Washington as a veteran Los Angeles police officer who guides an idealistic rookie (Ethan Hawke) through his first day on the job.