Hannibal Returns
Author Thomas Harris has finally turned in his manuscript for Hannibal, the follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs that has taken him a decade to complete. On June 8 in America, Dell will publish the 480-page novel, set seven years on, continuing the strange relationship between the killer and FBI agent Clarice Starling. But it may cost as much as $100 million to reunite Anthony Hopkins, co-star Jodie Foster, director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ted Tally, all of whom won Oscars for the 1991 hit chiller, which only cost $22 million.

The Silence of the Lambs was produced by Orion, under rights granted by the Dino De Laurentiis Co, which owns first negotiation rights to the Lecter character. De Laurentiis clinched the rights when he made the 1986 movie Manhunter, based on Harris’ novel Red Dragon, which featured Lecter (played by Brian Cox) in a supporting role. A further complication is the Starling character, which did not appear in the early novel, so rights to that character are now owned by MGM, which acquired the assets of the now defunct Orion. This quirk is bound to drive up costs as De Laurentiis now has a distribution deal for the sequel with MGM rival Universal. How is all this going to be resolved? Watch this space!

Crimes of the Future
What film is David Cronenberg working on next? According to the Canadian maestro when I spoke to him recently, what seems likely is Crimes of the Future for Paramount Pictures. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it shares the same title with the director’s early 1970 underground offering – itself a close companion piece to his début Stereo (1969).

The first Crimes of the Future dealt with deadly cosmetics wiping out the female race. The second? “Don’t ask me why I’ve done this. I just like the title and not too many people have seen the original. I have a contract with producer Scott Rudin and Paramount to write an original script which I’m currently working on. For the sake of having a title as a record I called it Crimes of the Future. It’s only confusing to my fans. I may be choosing it unconsciously because it is a revisiting of themes from the earliest part of my career. I don’t know yet, I’m not too deeply into the script to know where I’m going with it”.

Devon Flight
Devon Sawa (star of Idle Hands, this issue's cover film) is set to star in New Line Cinema’s Flight 180 while Ali (Varsity Blues) Larter takes the female lead. Directed by James Wong, the film follows 17-year-old Alex Browning (Sawa), who sees his premonition of a plane crash come true. When those who missed the crash, thanks to his warning, begin to die, Alex must figure out the causes of their deaths. Larter plays Alex’s love interest whose life is spared by his premonition. She teams up with him to help solve the mystery deaths before their turn comes.