Production on the indie The Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was scheduled to start next month, but that may not happen for a reason you’ve probably heard about by now. Morgan Freeman, who was set to co-star in the film with Pierce Brosnan and Danny De Vito, is scheduled to undergo surgery for injuries suffered in a car accident late Sunday night in Mississippi. Freeman was reported to be in serious condition yesterday, but the latest reports suggest it’s not quite time for the actor to start making out his bucket list. (I know I promised I wouldn’t make that joke, but as it turns out, I’m completely shameless.) According to his publicist, Freeman “has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage, but is in good spirits.” Variety reports, “None of his other projects are expected to be affected. Freeman will star in The Human Factor, the Nelson Mandela bio that Clint Eastwood is directing for Warners, but that shoot isn’t skedded to begin until early next year.”
When selecting news items for the Morning Deal Report, sometimes a title alone is enough to catch my attention. For instance, Drink, Play, F@#k. Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the book of that title, described by the Hollywood Reporter as “the provocatively titled comedic male retort to the femme-centric best-seller Eat, Pray, Love. The soon-to-be-published Play, by comedy writer Andrew Gottlieb tells the fictional story of Bob Sullivan, a man who, seeking solace after his wife leaves him, goes on a bender in Ireland, takes a gambling jaunt to Las Vegas and a embarks on a sex-tourism trip to Thailand.” This should create some challenges for the marketing department. How exactly do you pronounce that last word anyway?
Finally, Mark Ruffalo will make his directorial debut with Sympathy for Delicious. I’m thinking it’s either about a dog or a drag queen, but I’m wrong on both counts. Per Variety, it’s the story of “‘Delicious’ Dean O'Dwyer, a paralyzed DJ struggling to survive in his wheelchair on the streets of L.A. He turns to faith-healing and mysteriously acquires the ability to cure the sick -- although not himself.”
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