| From: | "J.D. Falk" <jdfalk@****.CAIS.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | MOVIE: "The Net" |
| Date: | Thu, 2 Feb 1995 19:07:35 -0500 |
(currently at http://www.interactive-week.ziff.com)
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THE NET SPEEDS TO SCREEN
By Gary A. Bolles
Inter@***** Week
Many Hollywood studios are rushing to join the interactive fray by
generating activity on the Internet and the major commercial on-line
services. However, one studio is taking the concept a step further:
Columbia Pictures has recently begun production on a movie about
cyberspace.
The Net is a thriller based on the Kafka-esque journey of a reclusive
programmer played by Sandra Bullock, star of the recent hit Speed.
Budgeted at $27 million, the film follows Bullock's character as she
discovers a nefarious group that moves with ease through cyberspace.
After the group electronically alters her character's identity -- and,
incidentally, tries to kill her -- Bullock must evade police and her
pursuers while she races against the clock.
The movie co-stars Dennis Miller of Saturday Night Live fame, and is
directed and co-produced by Irwin Winkler. Winkler's Oscar-winning
movies include Rocky, The Right Stuff, Raging Bull, and GoodFellas.
The Net's original concept was developed by Winkler himself, who had
heard a story about medical records being electronically altered. "I
was very intrigued by how vulnerable we are to the information that's
out there" in electronic form, Winkler told Inter@***** Week.
Winkler was in San Francisco to film crucial scenes from The Net at
the recent MacWorld Expo trade show. Apple is intimately involved in
the production: The new film has tie-ins to a variety of interactive
vendors, including Apple's Macintosh products and its eWorld on-line
service, says Michael Schrager, Columbia's director of production
resources.
Theatrical release of The Net is planned for this fall. [IMAGE]
