"Smoochy" Announcement

WB SETS 'SMOOCHY' DUO

Thesps to join Williams in Lazar-produced comedy

By CLAUDE BRODESSER, Variety 10/31/00

Edward Norton and Catherine Keener are kissing up to Death to Smoochy, a laffer from scribe Adam Resnick (Lucky Numbers) that Danny DeVito will helm for Warner Bros.

The deal has Keener (Being John Malkovich) likely to bail out of Phoenix Pictures' Basic -- a pic that, only two weeks ago, she had been attached to star in under helmer Lee Tamahori. Keener next appears opposite Al Pacino in New Line Cinema's Simone.

Norton will play Smoochy, the title character, who is a blue rhino on a children's television show. Norton's Smoochy is replacing a Barney-like costumed character (played by Robin Williams) who was canned for taking payola. The ousted star is already fuming, but when his hated on-air replacement starts a romantic tryst with his former lover, a veepee of development played by Keener, he snaps and plots his assasination.

Death to Smoochy is being produced by Andrew Lazar, producer of WB pic Space Cowboys, as well as the Par pic Lucky Numbers via his Warner Bros.-based Mad Chance Prods. shingle. Resnick is a former writer on "Late Night With David Letterman."

Norton was repped in the deal by Endeavor and by attorney Robert Offer; Keener was repped by the Gersh Agency.

Norton, Keener buss 'Smoochy' at Warner Bros.

By Zorianna Kit, Hollywood Reporter, 10/31/00

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Edward Norton and Catherine Keener are set to star alongside Robin Williams in Warner Bros.' comedy Death to Smoochy for director Danny DeVito and producer Andrew Lazar. Shooting begins in January.

Written by Adam Resnick, Smoochy centers on a naive and idealistic children's entertainer named Sheldon (Norton) who gets his big break hosting his own TV show as a big, puffy, blue rhinoceros named Smoochy. He ends up being targeted for assassination by the host he replaced, Rainbow Randolph (Williams), who was fired after getting arrested for accepting a bribe.

Keener will play Nora, the second in command to the head of children's programming at the network. At first, she opposes the hiring of Sheldon as Smoochy but eventually gets to know him better and begins to fall in love.

The studio had been out to land Norton for the title role shortly after he became free following his exit from the Greg Hoblit-directed MGM film Hart's War (HR 9/27).

Lazar is producing "Smoochy" through his Warner Bros.-based Mad Chance Prods. The studio acquired the project for Lazar pre-emptively a year ago for an estimated $650,000.

Norton, repped by CAA [note: this is outdated info- EN is represented by Endeavor], next appears in Mandalay Pictures' The Score. He last directed, produced and starred in Keeping the Faith.

Keener, repped by the Gersh Agency, is wrapping New Line Cinema's Simone. She will then segue to the untitled Nicole Holofcener project for Good Machine. Keener was nominated for an Oscar this year for Being John Malkovich."

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