HOLLYWOOD - Reese Witherspoon may have to live down endless "dumb blonde" jokes after her latest film, Legally Blonde, shot to No. 1, but the actress is simply white hot. Good for her! Now, she is set to play another blonde in the big screen adaptation of the 1960s TV series Honey West. The series, which ran for one season in 1965, starred Anne Francis as a female private eye who inherits her family's detective business. Ms. Witherspoon will update the character to modern-day standards, with the film being described as a comic-action picture along the same lines as Foul Play. Hmmm, let's think about casting choices for the male lead (cause you know there has to be one) similar to Chevy Chase--maybe Ashton Kutcher (Dude, Where's My Car?). West also is being produced by Witherspoon and Marc Platt, who produced Blonde for MGM. So, actually it is true--blondes have more fun. Speaking of blondes...
Renee Zellweger, the petite blonde who wowed us in Bridget Jones' Diary, is in talks to star in 13 Going on 30. Don't you like that title? It just sums things up. The film, described as a female version of Big, is being set up by the Sony-based Revolution Studios, which is behind the upcoming Julia Roberts comedy America's Sweethearts. The story revolves around a girl, who, on the brink of her 13th birthday, gets a sneak peek at what her life would been like as a 30-year-old. Apparently, she has become rich, powerful and beautiful, but her means for climbing the ladder were less than admirable. Well, that sounds just about right for the talented Ms. Zellweger.
Just call him Dead Man Walkin'
The ever-interesting Kevin Spacey is in negotiations to star in what could be his next project, The Life of David Gale, a death row drama Alan Parker will direct. Can a death row film ever be a comedy? Just wondering. He'll play a professor and anti-capital punishment activist who finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation of another activist and is eventually convicted of the crime. The role was originally to be filled by George Clooney, but he had to drop out. Nicole Kidman also is being approached for the female lead (but please don't tell us she'll play his lawyer). So, this might not be as compelling as other Spacey films, including his upcoming fall film K-PAX, where he plays a mental ward patient who insists he's an alien from a far away planet. But somehow, with Spacey in it, David Gale's got potential.