Thanks to the TV juggernaut "CSI", Marg Helgenberger is one of the most-watched women in the world; in movies, however, it's been a very different story thanks to duds like "Fire Down Below" and "Always." Now, with a sweet-sounding heist flick on the horizon, Helgenberger might have better days on the big-screen ahead.
"Val Kilmer is the star of the film; he's the lead," grinned the perky actress, discussing "Columbus Day", a currently-filming thriller that also stars Wilmer Valderrama. "He plays a man who's a thief." The flick is substantial for two reasons that go beyond Helgenberger. First off, it features Kilmer returning to the cops-and-robbers world he last mined in the 1995 classic "Heat". Secondly, it marks the debut of writer/director Charles Burmeister, an up-and-coming Sundance protege whose "Columbus" script beat out 5500 others to win the coveted Chesterfield Screenwriting Fellowship.
"You're introduced to [Kilmer's character], and he's carrying a briefcase full of something or other," laughed Helgenberger, revealing the "Pulp Fiction"-esque plot device. "You know he just pulled off a heist, but you never find out what's in the briefcase. He's just trying to sell it - so he makes a series of phone calls in hopes to sell whatever is in the briefcase." But it wouldn't be a true heist flick, she acknowledged, unless there was a fly in the ointment. "While he's waiting to set up this deal, there's a young boy at the park where he's waiting for this all to transpire; this boy and he develop a friendship, and through that relationship he realizes who the important people in his life are." Read More...
Every cop needs to find himself a good partner. These days, Wilmer Valderrama seems to know that better than anyone. "As far as CHiPs goes, right now we're in search of a great director and a great Jon," the former "That 70's Show" star told us this week, providing an update on the big-screen adaptation of another 70's show. "We're gearing up [to shoot] at the end of this year."
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