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Fri/Sat/Sun December 8~10, 2017

ACTRESS Elle Fanning is in talks to star an as-yet untitled Patty Hearst drama for Fox 2000.

James Mangold, the fi lmmaker behind this year’s “Logan” and the Oscar-winning Johnny Cash biopic “Walk the Line” (2005), will direct.

Hearst is a U.S. heiress who in 1974 was kid-napped by revolutionaries known as the Sym-bionese Liberation Army (SLA), a group that detained her for two years. The SLA shocked the world when it released a tape of Hearst saying she had joined the group, a revelation that placed Hearst at the center of a counterculture revolution. Soon she was participating in armed bank robberies, and after her capture Hearst became the center of a dramatic trial.

The fi lm is based on author Jeffrey Toobin’s “American Heiress,” with a screenplay by Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, along with Mangold. The director is producing with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Colorforce.

Mangold is coming off of “Logan,” the big-gest fi lm of his career, which earned critical acclaim and US$616.8 million worldwide. He is also developing a “Logan” spinoff focused on the young mutant Laura and will direct the children’s book adaptation “Crenshaw” for Fox.

Fanning had a big hit with 2014’s “Malefi -cent” and recently starred in last year’s “The Neon Demon” and “20th Century Women.” She stars in the upcoming biopic “Mary Shelley” as the “Frankenstein” author, as well as in Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York.” (SD-Agencies)

HBO Europe has struck a deal with Endemol Shine Group to bring miniseries “Gunpowder” to the Nor-dics, Central and Eastern Europe and Spain later this year.

Produced by Endemol Shine’s Kudos banner in association with Kit Harington’s Thriker Films and commissioned by BBC One, the 17th century thriller about the failed attempt by Guy Fawkes and his team to blow up London’s Houses of Par-liament has already sold to HBO in North America and premiered on the BBC in October.

“Gunpowder” stars Harington, Peter Mullan, Mark Gatiss and Liv Tyler, and was written by Ronan Bennett, with J. Blakeson directing.

“It is a pleasure to offer

our many subscribers across Europe an early Christmas gift in the form of this new and exciting miniseries,” said Ragnhild Thorbech, HBO Europe’s senior VP acquisitions and programming. “Not only fans of Kit Harington, but also thriller fans can look forward to this histori-cal, explosive miniseries event.”

The program was com-missioned by Charlotte Moore, BBC director of content, and Piers Wenger, BBC controller drama commissioning. Executive producers are Ollie Madden for Kudos, Matthew Read for the BBC and Ronan Bennett. Har-ington and Daniel West are co-executive produc-ers for Thriker Films, and Laurie Borg is producing. (SD-Agencies)

HBO Europe lands Kit Harington’s ‘Gunpowder’

Elle Fanning in Talks to Star in Patty Hearst Movie

‘South Park’ creators offer fans a chance to be in an episode

MATT STONE and Trey Parker are offering “South Park” fans a unique opportunity — be drawn in an episode of the show.

By donating to Next for Autism through the fundraising platform Omaze, fans will be entered for a chance to visit South Park Studios in Marina del Rey and be drawn into an episode next season.

“The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone ... except YOU!,” reads the page announc-ing the contest on Omaze.com. “You’ll visit the studio, grab

lunch and meet Trey Parker and Matt Stone who have spent the last 20 years hilariously enter-taining and offending nearly everyone. But that’s not all, you (and just you) will also be drawn into an episode as one of the townspeople, so you’ll have the perfect reason to tell your friends to tune in and look for you.”

Anyone who donates US$10 will be entered into the con-test. “South Park” wrapped up its 21st season this week. The cartoon series has won multiple Emmys and spawned one movie and numerous video games. (SD-Agencies)

Elle FanningElle Fanning

Ryan Reynolds to star in ‘Detective Pikachu’

ACTOR Ryan Reynolds has signed on to star in Legendary’s live-action Pokemon movie. Reynolds joins Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton in the movie, titled “Detective Pikachu,” based on the gaming franchise.

Rob Letterman is directing the project, which is due to start shooting in mid-January.

The concept of Pokemon, which launched with a video game that transformed into a card-collecting, TV and movie franchise phenomenon, sees players acting as trainers who collect cute but powerful mon-sters called Pokemon in order to compete in battle tournaments.

Pikachu is a species of Poke-mon, while Detective Pikachu the character is a peculiar sort from the Pikachu set, a self-styled investigator who is good at fi nding things. Reynolds will portray the titular detective.

The story is kicked into gear when Smith’s character’s father is kidnapped, forcing the teen to team up with Pikachu in order to fi nd him. Newton will play a sassy journalist who helps them on their quest.

The role is said to be motion-capture in nature, sources say.

Reynolds’ “Deadpool” sequel is set to open June 1. (SD-Agencies)

Kit Harington (L) in “Gunpowder.”Kit Harington (L) in “Gunpowder.”