Fiennes in for psychological thriller ‘Spider’

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001 | 8:45 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

Ralph Fiennes will star for director David Cronenberg in the psychological thriller "Spider," scheduled to shoot in June and July in England and Toronto for MM Media Capital Partners.

Patrick McGrath wrote the script for "Spider," adapting from his 1991 novel of the same name. The story centers on a man's (Fiennes) descent into madness as he searches for the truth about his mysterious past and the death of his mother.

Cronenberg told the Hollywood Reporter that it was "the combination of the character, and the tone of the script, and Ralph" that attracted him to "Spider." He met with Fiennes in London a number of months ago to discuss the project.

"I wouldn't do (this project) with another actor," Cronenberg said. "Usually I don't think of a specific actor for a project, but in this case it was different. It was so Ralph. And it's not anything I would have written myself, but I related to it very strongly."

Louise-Dreyfus pitching series: "Seinfeld" femme Julia Louise-Dreyfus wants to return to series television, only she wants to write the rules for this one.

She and her husband, actor-producer Brad Hall, have come up with a concept and he has penned a script for a new series they think would be perfect for Dreyfus, and they've actually dropped it off with several networks.

In the would-be series, she plays a Los Angeles lounge lizard trying to cope with life. While several executives are said to be eager to sign up the popular actress, bids for this project have been slow in coming because of the couples demand for creative independence.

It seems that Dreyfus and Hall insist they are only interested in producing 13 episodes a season rather than a standard (and more lucrative) 22; and want to limit the number of network executives who have a say in the show's creative process. With so many restrictions, executives are saying privately, it's going to be hard to give this one a go no matter how much they want Dreyfus.