Movie File: Nicole Richie, Shrek, Queen Latifah, Rachael Leigh Cook, Maggie Gyllenhaal & More
Nicole Richie has signed on for her first movie, a drama called "Kids in America" about a group of diverse children who take on a corrupt school administration. "I play a cheerleader. She's kind of bitchy, but she's wild and cool," Richie said. "Once I got the part, they wrote the role bigger and around me." Gregory Smith ("Everwood") and Rosanna Arquette are co-staring in the indie production, which begins shooting this week in Los Angeles. ... He's got a bright future for an ogre: Not only is Shrek returning to the big screen May 19, plans are in the works to bring the green grump to Broadway. "Right now Sam Mendes is involved in the development of the project, and you can't do any better than that," producer Aron Warner said of the veteran stage director who also helmed "American Beauty." "Obviously he's going to bring a really interesting take to it." ...
Queen Latifah's upcoming "Beauty Shop" ([article id="1487128"]click for photos from the set[/article]) is a spinoff of "Barbershop," but there's no guarantee Calvin or his barbers, such as Cedric the Entertainer's memorable Eddie, will make an appearance. "I think Cube is supposed to do something in here somewhere along the way ... but those guys are busy, busy, busy," Latifah said. "It doesn't matter, he's still the producer on it, so he definitely gets love around here." ... Veteran video director Bille Woodruff ("Nelly," "Fat Joe"), who's following up his big-screen debut, "Honey," with "Beauty Shop," hopes to change gears with his next project. "I want something that's a bit more action-oriented, with not as much hair and makeup," he said. "Maybe blow some stuff up, have a little fight scene. Maybe a comic-book-inspired movie. I love comic books. I have like 5,000 of them at home." ...
Rachael Leigh Cook, whose "Stateside" opens Friday, will next be seen alongside Hilary Swank, Colin Hanks and others in the thriller "11:14." "It's an ensemble piece about the very bad events of one night ... and the events leading up to it from four different perspectives," Cook said. "It's a great cast. Patrick Swayze came in for us. He's the man. 'Dirty Dancing,' don't get me started." ... Meanwhile, Cook's "Stateside" co-star Jonathan Tucker ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre") has several projects in the works. "In June I'm in the first scene in the first episode of the new season of 'Six Feet Under,' " he said. "I'm high on acid and I jump off a building. I have 'Criminal' coming out in September, a Steven Soderbergh- and George Clooney-produced project with my favorite actor, John C. Reilly, and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Diego Luna. And I've got this weird sort of dark comedy called 'Love Comes to the Executioner' where I play a Latin-teaching executioner in a prison. And then this Bruce Willis movie called 'Hostage' where I take a family hostage and negotiate with Mr. Willis on how we are going to handle the situation, which is a really fun movie." ...
Larry Bishop, who plays a strip club owner in "Kill Bill Vol. 2," is re-teaming with Quentin Tarantino for a biker film he's writing and directing called "Hell Ride." Tarantino will produce the movie and may also co-star along with Bishop and another "Kill Bill" star, Michael Madsen. ... "Hellboy" director Guillermo del Toro must've overheard star Ron Perlman when he told reporters he would love to make a sequel. The director has officially signed on to continue the franchise with another film. ... Following Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers," John Waters' "A Dirty Shame" is the latest release to carry an NC-17 rating. The film is about a convenience store owner (Tracey Ullman) who turns into a sex addict after a concussion. ... A remastered double-disc special edition of "GoodFellas" will be the centerpiece of the "The Martin Scorsese Collection" DVD set, due August 17. A special edition of "Mean Streets," along with the DVD debuts of "After Hours," "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and the director's first feature, 1969's "Who's That Knocking at My Door," will also be included. ...
