Burt Reynolds' publicist said Wednesday afternoon that the actor isn't officially signed yet to star in A Fonder Heart, a movie from writer-director Jim Fitzpatrick that has been slated to begin shooting in Pinellas County on July 13.
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick said Wednesday afternoon that the start date is now pushed back to July 15, at least, due to one of his three key investors facing a family tragedy that could lead to his money being withdrawn.
Fittzpatrick has trumpeted Reynolds as his star on the $5.5 million project's official Web site and during interviews with the Times last week.
Jeffrey Lane, who has represented Reynolds for nearly 12 years, said Reynolds likes the project and wants to join but Lane hasn't received confirmation from the actor's agent about a contract to publicize.
"I know it's very much in the works," Lane said by telephone from his Los Angeles office, "and I know that it's probably very close. But up until this very second, I have not been advised that this is a definite go.
"It's not that it's not happening but I can't honestly tell you that it is. I know the part has been offered to (Reynolds) and it's something he wants to do. The contracts have not been signed."
Lane noted that he was speaking just after 9 a.m. Los Angeles time, and industry types were just arriving at work. "In the next hour, who knows?" he said.
"These things with lawyers and agents; it's always 'hold off, hold off' (on announcing projects) and then it's 'go, go.' It could be over a comma in a contract for all I know. Until they give me the green light, I'm always apprehensive to be overly enthusiastic.
"It's got to be worked out pretty quickly if it's all starting next week, hasn't it?"
Fitzpatrick said he never dealt with Lane before and "Jeffrey is obviously out of the loop as far as what's going on."
Fitzpatrick claims to have "deal memos with all of our stars," defining deal memos as salary and work time parameters. Last week, representatives for co-stars Daryl Hannah and Lou Gossett Jr. confirmed their clients' involvement with A Fonder Heart.
But Fitzpatrick says he has another issue to handle, as well.
"I'm up against it, man," he said. "One of our investors, something really bad happened with his brother and he's up in Pittsburgh with his brother. Very tragic."
Asked if the financing of A Fonder Heart will be affected by the investor's family tragedy, Fitzpatrick replied:
"If (the brother) dies, it is. (The brother) has eight kids and the youngest is 2 years old, and (the brother) may not make it through the week. He's unconscious now. If that does happen, I actually wouldn't blame (the investor) if he gave the family some of the money he planned to put into the movie."
Fitzpatrick declined to identify any of the three investors he claims, citing privacy issues.
In any case, Fitzpatrick said the start date for A Fonder Heart has been moved to July 15 due to situations that led him to recently spend days traveling to Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.
"We're pushing it day-by-day with bated breath, waiting to see what happens with our investor's brother," Fitzpatrick said. "But everybody is, the whole cast and crew. You can't just start a movie with only two-thirds of the budget intact. Everything's got to be in the kitty at once.
"It'll be no earlier than the 15th. It's day-by-day at this point."
Steve Persall is the movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times. He was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.
Burt Reynolds is the man. Love the guy. I have him as my GPS voice too. It's from a site called Navtones or something. they do real celebrity voices for GPS. Funny stuff.
It'll be great to see him back in action!
Posted by: Sam | July 09, 2009 at 01:54 PM
Wow, cynical and ignorant is no way to go through life Frankie and Rob.
Just because your lives have amounted to nothing, doesn't mean you should try to diminish others.
Posted by: Dr Elle | July 08, 2009 at 09:38 PM
CAN YOU ANSWER THIS????
WHAT DO BURT REYNOLDS AND ROCK HUDSON HAVE IN COMMON?
Posted by: frankie | July 08, 2009 at 05:30 PM
It's 2009, not 1979. Burt Reynolds is last generation's hero, not this generation. He's old, washed up and would bend over for a pack of smokes. Who cares?
Posted by: Rob | July 08, 2009 at 04:47 PM