My LeomaniaCatch Me If You Can The Early Story
The movie Catch Me If You Can has been planned since more than a year, and Leonardo has been involved from the beginning. Here is the early story of the project:
January 24, 2002 Frank John Hughes and Brian Howe have joined the cast to
play two FBI agents who help Tom Hanks to catch Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio).
The Hollywood Reporter - January 24, 2002 January 9, 2002 Christopher Walken is in talks to join the cast of CMIYC to play
Frank Abagnale Jr.´s (DiCaprio´s) father.
The filming is supposed to start in February in Los Angeles. Read the full article at
Yahoo News - January 9. You´ll find more info on the film as well and an interesting
interview with Frank Abagnale Jr. at the
Steven Spielberg Fansite. January 3, 2002 From The Hollywood Reporter: "Actress Ellen Pompeo is in talks for a role in Steven Spielberg's
Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. In Catch Me, Pompeo
will play Marci, a flight attendant who takes the virginity of DiCaprio's character." December 7, 2001 Director Steven Spielberg suffered a knee injury by an accident with
his scooter, but got off lightly and has already begun the work on pre-production for
CMIYC, reports
E Online. November 2001 The Website Director´s World,
which seems to be serious and well informed, lists Catch Me If You Can - directed by Steven
Spielberg - as being in pre-production for the week of November 7.
USA Today reports that the film composer John Williams will write the score for Steven Spielberg´s
Catch Me If You Can. - (November13, 2001) 13thStreet.Com has a wonderful new
CMIYC Script Review ! August 29, 2001 Tom Hanks in talks to join Leo
in Spielberg´s new project: Variety - August 28, 2001
& E-Online - August 29, 2001 August 22, 2001 Yahoo News - August 22, 2001: Spielberg Catches DiCaprio
Flick After Gore Verbinski and Lasse
Hallstrom had been attached to the project and then dropped out,
Variety and The Hollywood Reporter bring the news that Steven
Spielberg is preparing to direct the movie. "He has been a
great fan since the first time he read the draft." The production on CMIYC
is expected to get underway in early January ! July 31, 2001 Spielberg to direct CMIYC ? Yahoo News - July 31. 2001 By Michael Fleming - While the business is
slowly regaining momentum after the strike threat, the rumoring
about projects is in full swing. One is that Steven Spielberg
might direct the DreamWorks drama Catch Me If You Can,
a pic once greenlit as a pre-strike pic for director Gore
Verbinski, Leonardo DiCaprio and James Gandolfini until DiCaprio
took Gangs of New York. Verbinski ankled, and
Lasse Hallstrom took over only to exit himself. Spielberg has
been trying to tempt Milos Forman, but the two-time Oscar winner
has another film, prompting Spielberg to consider it himself. The
A.I. director just completed Minority
Report and odds are he'll either follow with Big
Fish or Memoirs of a Geisha. July 2nd, 2001 Hallstrom dropped out Hollywood Reporter - 02.07.01 DreamWorks Pictures' Catch Me If You
Can has hit another snag. Director Lasse Hallstrom has
dropped out of the Leonardo DiCaprio-James Gandolfini starrer, a
studio spokesman confirmed. Hallstrom's reps at UTA would not
comment. DreamWorks had to delay the start of Catch
last fall after DiCaprio's shooting schedule ran over on Gangs
of New York. At that time, Gore Verbinski was set to
direct the project, but he later dropped out as well. A
replacement for Hallstrom has not yet been named. June 1st, 2001 From Dark Horizon: Stax´ Script Review of CMIYC with some film news and -- spoilers ! May 23, 2001 Exciting News: Lasse Hallstrom
may direct Catch Me If You Can
! ananova com - May 23, 2001: Director Lasse Hallstrom's next project could
star Leonardo DiCaprio. Hallstrom is in talks to direct Catch
Me If You Can, which has been written by Jeff Nathanson.
The film is a true story adapted from the memoirs of con man
Frank Abagnale Jr, who will be played by DiCaprio. Hallstrom is
best known for directing the Oscar-nominated The Cider
House Rules. -- Reuters/Variety - May 23, 2001: Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat) is
in negotiations to direct the DreamWorks picture Catch Me
If You Can, with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. A
March start is planned. Catch Me had previously been
eyed by directors such as Gore Verbinski and David Fincher.
Hallstrom, currently shooting The Shipping News
for Miramax Films, previously directed DiCaprio in What's
Eating Gilbert Grape. And he was directing Chocolat
with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche ! April 19, 2001 Yahoo News - April 19, 2001 DiCaprio Wraps Gangs By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith THE BIG-SCREEN SCENE: Leonardo DiCaprio
finally wrapped Martin Scorsese's Gangs of
New York last week, but he still hasn't
decided which project he'll try to squeeze in before the pending
strike. DiCaprio was at one point expected to segue from
Gangs to Catch Me If You
Can, a film which would be a tour-de-force role for
the Titanic star. The DreamWorks
project is based on the best-selling 1980 memoir of Frank
Abagnale Jr., who from 1964-66 successfully impersonated an
airline pilot, a doctor, an assistant attorney general and
history professor AND cashed more than $2.5 million in fraudulent
checks in 26 foreign countries. After being captured by the FBI,
Abagnale became a consultant for the bureau. DiCaprio's
rep says Catch could
still be Leo's next film, but right now "he's weighing lots
of projects, and nothing is formal yet." February 15, 2001 There might be a chance for
CMIYC ! Here´s an excerpt of a very
pleasing interview from Movieline February with Gore
Verbinski ! January 1st, 2001 Yahoo Com - 1.1.01: James Gandolfini is in talks to join the drama The
Castle ..... after he became available when another
DreamWorks feature, Catch Me If You Can, which
he was to star in with Leonardo DiCaprio, was temporarily shelved
because DiCaprio became unavailable for March start date when his
current project, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York,
began running over schedule. November 17, 2000 Here are better news than the last
ones: From Entertainment Weekly - Nov. 24, 2000 Catch Wind of This Could the details of Catch Me If You
Can change any more? First Leonardo DiCaprio was in with
Gore Verbinski ( The Mexican ) directing. Then
DiCaprio involvement was threatened by his work on Martin
Scorsese's Gangs of New York running over
schedule. Now, Catch Me's producers are trying
to work around DiCaprio's schedule, even if that means losing
Verbinski to another film and James Gandolfini back to The
Sopranos. "We're meeting with
Leo to make sure this will be his first film after Gangs whether
it's before the strike or after," says
producer Barry Kemp. "No matter what,
we want to go with him". November 6, 2000 Leonardo´s next picture is delayed ! There seems no chance the movie
shot of CMIYC is finished until the beginning of
the SAG strike in June 2001. No movie shot will start after March
2000. And Leonardo is not available in time, because the schedule
for Gangs of New York will last two weeks longer
than suggested.
Variety News - November 5, 2000
MrShowbiz - November 6, 2000 October 19, 2000 James Gandolfini, who plays HBO´s
mob boss Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, is in
talk to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the feature Catch
Me If You Can from Dreamworks, according to The
Hollywood Reporter. The movie tells the based-on-real-life story
of how a FBI agent (Gandolfini) caught one of the youngest men to
make the agency´s 10 Most Wanted list. DiCaprio is signed on to
play the bad boy, a con artist who cashed more than $6 million in
fraudulent checks throughout the country. Production is set to
start in February. Article about Gandolfini in CMIYC - ananova com - Oct.
19. 2000 - Ain´t It Cool News on CMIYC - Oct. 10, 2000 - September 27, 2000: CMIYC confirmed ! September 15, 2000: Jam!Showbiz : It´s probably Gore Verbinski who will direct Catch
Me If You Can ! Chicago Sun Times - July 18, 2000 * |