Sahara

By: Corona's Coming Attractions
Date: Monday, June 14, 2004

Genre:
Action/Adventure.

Studio:
Paramount Pictures.


Production Company:
Crusader Entertainment/j.k. livin prods.

Project Phase:
Released.

Who's In It:
Matthew McConaughey (Dirk Pitt); Steve Zahn; Penelope Cruz (Eva Rojas).


Who's Making It:
Breck Eisner (Director); Matthew McConaughey, Gus Gustawes (Executive Producers); based on the book by Clive Cussler.

Premise:
Marine life planetwide is dying off in staggering proportions, and if adventurer Dirk Pitt can't find the solution in the Sahara desert, all life on Earth may soon follow.

Release Date:
March 25, 2005.

Comments:
Many insiders and readers of the 30 year old series says it has the potential to take on both INDIANA JONES and JAMES BOND. Cussler himself has written the stories more and more with that big summer movie bent, but none have been translated to the big screen for 20 years (the last movie in which Dirk Pitt appeared in was 1980's RAISE THE TITANIC).

Scoop Feedback:

September 10, 2003... Penelope Cruz is in talks to join the cast of SAHARA, the movie based on Clive Cussler's novel of the same title. Starring as Cussler's rough and ragged adventurer Dirk Pitt is Matthew McConaughey while Steve Zahn will play Pitt's sidekick.

Cruz's character is Eva Rojas, a United Nations scientist marked for death because she is investigating the cause behind mysterious deaths of North Africans and an alarming dropoff of coastal sea life. Breck Eisner will direct; shooting is anticipated to start this fall. [The Hollywood Reporter.]

January 16, 2004... The creator of adventurer Dirk Pitt is now suing the company that is making a movie out of the character. Novelist Clive Cussler has filed suit against Crusader Entertainment yesterday alleging that the film production company had significantly altered the storyline of the SAHARA screenplay from the one in Cussler's book. Cussler states that the present draft of SAHARA is not the version of the script he signed off on earlier in the production's development history.

Cussler wants to halt the eventual release of the Matthew McConaughey movie (which is now filming), seek monetary damages and end his business partnership with Crusader.So far no response from the production company has been forthcoming. [Variety.]

June 14, 2004... Paramount has marked out a March 25, 2005 release date for SAHARA.