erinmoran
03-06-2002, 06:31 AM
NEW YORK (Variety) - After he completes a pair of sequels to the futuristic hit "The Matrix," Keanu Reeves is looking to go retro, in the form of "Billy Jack."
Tom Laughlin, who wrote, directed and starred in the original 1971 counterculture hit, is in talks with Danny DeVito's Jersey Films and Reeves' management firm 3 Arts to mount a remake of the film.
A tough, spiritual Vietnam veteran who's half-Native American, Billy Jack challenged the establishment and championed a group of runaway teens as well as the environment in an Arizona town. A man of few words, he was quick with fists and feet.
The project is expected to be shopped to studios shortly, and Laughlin also will play a critical role in the production. The film rights are controlled by Laughlin, who over the years has received numerous remake overtures for a film whose cost-to-gross ratio made it wildly profitable.
It is the first project Reeves has targeted as a potential star vehicle since he immersed himself in the yearlong shoot of "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," the back-to-back sequels to the hit 1999 film.
03:03 03-05-02
<img src="http://members.aol.com/fajita4me/images//image17.jpg"height=101 width=300>
Tom Laughlin, who wrote, directed and starred in the original 1971 counterculture hit, is in talks with Danny DeVito's Jersey Films and Reeves' management firm 3 Arts to mount a remake of the film.
A tough, spiritual Vietnam veteran who's half-Native American, Billy Jack challenged the establishment and championed a group of runaway teens as well as the environment in an Arizona town. A man of few words, he was quick with fists and feet.
The project is expected to be shopped to studios shortly, and Laughlin also will play a critical role in the production. The film rights are controlled by Laughlin, who over the years has received numerous remake overtures for a film whose cost-to-gross ratio made it wildly profitable.
It is the first project Reeves has targeted as a potential star vehicle since he immersed himself in the yearlong shoot of "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," the back-to-back sequels to the hit 1999 film.
03:03 03-05-02
<img src="http://members.aol.com/fajita4me/images//image17.jpg"height=101 width=300>