Grace is getting a new boyfriend.
Emmy-winning Woody Harrelson has signed on to do four episodes of the NBC hit sitcom “Will & Grace,” playing the boyfriend of Grace (Debra Messing).
Everyone on the show is very excited about Harrelson joining the cast. “[We] here at “Will & Grace” had a woody over Woody,” said series creator/executive producer David Kohan. “It feels like a real coup.”
Harrelson will play a new resident of Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace’s building, who at first antagonizes Grace but eventually forms a romantic attachment.
The role wasn’t initially written for Harrelson because the producers held out little hope of landing him for the part. Now it is being tailored specifically for him, and writers are adding more sex appeal. “[Harrelson] can generate heat between himself and an actress without even trying,” said Kohan. The story arc will air during the May sweep.
Harrelson has made some rare TV appearances since his days on “Cheers,” doing guest spots on “Frasier,” “Ellen” and “Spin
“ENOUGH” FOR LOPEZ & LEWIS: Juliette Lewis (“The Way of the Gun“) is co-starring with Jennifer Lopez in Columbia Pictures’ “Enough,” directed by Michael Apted (“The World is Not Enough“). Principal photography is slated to start March 12.
The story is being described as a cross between “Sleeping with the Enemy” and “Double Jeopardy“: A woman (Lopez) who marries the man of her dreams (Billy Campbell), only to see her life turn into a nightmare of domestic abuse. She tries to escape with her daughter, but eventually must take matters into her own hands to save her life and that of her child. Lewis plays the part of Lopez‘s best friend and confidant who has also been victimized by abuse.
Lewis recently finished shooting the independent feature “Claire’s Hat” for Canadian producer Robert Lantos, and Lopez can currently be seen in the hit film “The Wedding Planner.”
REESE GOES WILDE: “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Oscar Wilde’s brilliant comedy of errors, is getting another big-screen treatment, with Reese Witherspoon (“Little Nicky“) in negotiations to star. The Miramax production starts shooting April 23 in London and has a budget of $15 million.
For the first time in her career, Witherspoon will be adopting a British accent in this 1890s period piece about mistaken identity in English high society. The film will also star Rupert Everett as Algernon, Colin Firth as Jack Worthing and Judi Dench as the Lady Bracknell.
LIGHTS…CAMERA…ACTION!: Directors Harold Ramis (“Bedazzled“) and Wes Craven (“Scream“) are both taking on new projects. Ramis will be directing the action comedy “Rule #3” for Fox 2000. In the film, an arrogant billionaire and firearms tycoon bullies a man he assumes is just an average Joe; unfortunately, the man turns out to be a hit man who teaches the tycoon a lesson. Sources say Sean Connery is being sought after to star. And in a completely different vein, horrormeister Craven has decided to take a stab at the classic Robert Louis Stevensen story “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” adding a few twists to the original tale. No stars are attached as yet.
