| 
West Memphis Three Updated:
Tuesday
9th September 2003: The West Memphis Three Update:
She may be the Queen of Pop and current advertising
hoarding of choice for the major companies of this material
world, but it seems Madonna still reckons she can act
too. PeopleNews can exclusively reveal that Her Madge
is angling for a part in a forthcoming film about the
dubiously-convicted West Memphis Three, three teenagers
sentenced to death in 1993 for the murder of three eight-year-olds.
After taking the lead in dodgy vanity-vehicle Swept
Away, Madonna is said to be aiming more a smaller supporting
role, with 'Oscar' written over it. A spokesperson for
the production company said they had been in talks with
several high-profile names but could not comment on
whether Madonna was one of them. Michael Madsen and
Michael Pitt are all currently on the scene.
Apparently destined for Gina Gershon, Mrs Ritchie heard
about the role while backstage at the recent MTV Awards,
berated her people for not letting her know about it
sooner and set them to lobbying Hollywood for the part.
'With all the early Oscar talk about West Memphis Three,'
said a source close to the singer, 'she is determined
to get in it.' And it looks as though she may yet have
her way, as several high-ranking execs have reported
frenzied phonecalls from Madonna minions. But also in
her sights (you didn't think she'd settle for a bit-part,
surely) is some work on the soundtrack, which several
of the world's major artists are said to be interested
in. The plight of the West Memphis Three has become
something of a cause celebre in recent years, with prominent
activist Winona Ryder hosting an art exhibition to raise
funds for further investigations into the dodgy convictions
of the teenagers, who still remain on Death Row.
Thanks
to Mark Maraccinni for the story.
Monday
18th August 2003: West Memphis Three Update:
Mark has sent in the following info on West Memphis
Three "When Curt
Johnson blew into town from New York last year just
as the Dallas-Fort
Worth Regional Film Commission was going down (and the
Dallas Film
Commission was being born), he vowed to stick around
and produce films. Now
it seems that Curt, one of the producers of the Oscar-winning
short
documentary Thoth (2002), is a man of his word. West
Memphis Three is to
shoot in Dallas this fall. It's about three teens, Damien
Echols, Jessie
Miskelly and Jason Baldwin, who were arrested and tried
in the brutal
murder of three young boys in Arkansas in 1993. Curt
wrote the script and
will produce the film about the case that also inspired
the 1996
award-winning documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders
at Robin Hood
Hills by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. Alex Steyermark
will direct the
feature with William H. Macy, Michael Madsen, Drea de
Matteo (The
Sopranos), Jason Lee, Giovanni Ribisi, Donal Logue,
Doug Hutchison, Rikki
Lake and Gina Gershon. Jason Reynolds, Michael Pitt
and possibly Orlando
Bloom, who's in negotiations at this writing, will play
the WM3. In case
you're not familiar with the controversial case and
didn't see the doc or
its sequel, we suggest visiting the Web site www.wm3.org."
Wednesday
13th August 2003: West Memphis Three Update:
Rumour
has Orlando Bloom in talks to star in West Memphis Three
as Jessie Misskelly, a mentally handicapped
teen accused of brutally murdering three 8-year old
boys.
Monday
7th July 2003: West Memphis Three Update:
Just received word that Ricki
Lake will be resurrecting her acting career
in West Memphis Three and will
play the mother of one of the three
convicted murderers. The producer of the
movie Curt Johnson had this to say
"I think a lot of people have forgotten
that she was so good in movies like
'Last Exit to Brooklyn' before becoming
a talk show star." Thanks to Mark
for the heads up! Tuesday
1st July 2003: West Memphis Three Update:
Director Alex Steyermark looks
to have signed up Gina Gershon, Jacob Reynolds, Michael Madsen, Giovanni Ribisi,
Ricki Lake, Doug Hutchison and John Waters to star in West Memphis Three. The
script has been written by Curt Johnson, who is also producing. Set in 1993, this
follows the arrest and trial of the three young men accused of the the brutal
murder of three young boys from West Memphis, and was the basis of the 1996 documentary
"Paradise Lost". Shooting is scheduled to begin in October in Dallas
and Arkansas.
Thursday 15th June 2003: West Memphis Three Update:
Producer
Curt Johnson is thought to be in talks with Donal Logue, Nick Stahl, Ethan Hawke
and Doug Hutcheson to star in West Memphis Three. The roles they are up for respectively
are Donal Logue as John Mark Byers, Nick Stahl as Jason Baldwin, Ethan Hawke as
lead prosecutor John Fogleman and Doug Hutcheson as Brent Davis. Michael Pitt
has already signed on for the role of Damien Echols. The film tells the true story
of three teen-agers; Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin who were
unfairly tried in a triple murder case. Echols is now on deathrow and the other
two are in prison for life. The movie will be directed by Alex Steyermark with
filming taking place in Arkansas this summer.
Friday 2nd May 2003: West Memphis Three Update:
Word reaches us Michael
Pitt will play a death row inmate accused of brutally murdering three 8-year-old
boys in West Memphis Three that Gus Van Sant is thought to be directing. 
More News on West Memphis Three as we get it! This
page has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film and intellectual copyright
holders of West Memphis Three & hold copyright over the movie, characters,
merchandise & storyline. |
