Posted on 06/16/2005 10:40:32 AM PDT by Howlin
Tom Hanks' production company has bought the film rights to the life story of Mark Felt, the former FBI official recently revealed to have been Deep Throat, it was reported today. Universal Pictures is understood to have secured the rights for development by Playtone, the company co-owned by Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the New York Times reported today.
The rights, along with those for a book to be published by respected non-fiction house PublicAffairs, are believed to have been sold for almost $1 million (£550,000).
Peter Osnos, the chief executive of PublicAffairs, said the book is expected to be published in spring next year.
It will combine Mr Felt's memoirs and his meetings with Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter he gave secret information to during the Watergate investigation, with material written by John O'Connor, the lawyer who wrote the Vanity Fair article revealing Deep Throat's identity.
Contracts are expected to be announced today.
The movie rights should form the bulk of the payment to Mr Felt, but the full sum will depend on whether a film is eventually produced.
He has said he decided to unmask himself as Deep Throat to raise money for his grandchildren's education.
Meanwhile, the Nation magazine will reveal that he twice led FBI probes into finding the source of the leaks.
Writers David Corn and Jeff Goldberg found documents in once-confidential FBI files now available to the public that showed Mr Felt in charge of finding the source of Woodward and Carl Bernstein's Washington Post scoops that helped bring down President Richard Nixon.
"How Deep Throat Fooled the FBI", which shows how Mr Felt cleverly threw the federal agency off his trail, was posted will be published on June 23 and is already available on the magazine's website.
"He was much more than a secret sharer. He was an operator," says the story, adding he "was able to watch his own back and protect his ability to guide the two reporters".
At one stage, Mr Felt officially met with Woodward in what appears to have been a move to cover himself, the story said.
He agreed to see the reporter in the presence of his assistant, a 25-year FBI veteran, but did not confirm any details presented to him by Woodward. "That was obviously a staged event," Corn said. "Felt needed cover."
Gary Goetzman
Began acting career at age five.
1967 As child actor, played Dick Van Dyke's son in feature film "Divorce American Style".
1974 First collaboration with Jonathan Demme, production manager on Demme's directorial debut "Caged Heat/Renegade Girls"; also acted.
1978 Wrote theme music for syndicated series "Hot City Disco".
Wrote and/or produced songs for Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan and numerous others.
1980 Had bit role in Demme's "Melvin and Howard".
1984 Produced and was sound recording mixer for concert film "Stop Making Sense", directed by Demme.
1984 Appeared in Demme's "Swing Shift".
1986 Introduced character of lounge singer Guido Paonessa in Demme's "Something Wild".
1990 Produced "Miami Blues"; also played bit part.
1991 Executive produced Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs".
1993 With Tom Hanks, formed Clavius Base, a production company.
1993 Reprised role of Guido Paonessa in Demme's "Philadelphia"; also executive produced.
1995 Produced (with Jesse Beaton) "Devil in a Blue Dress".
1996 Produced Tom Hanks' directorial debut, "That Thing You Do!"; also contributed several songs.
1997 Signed three-year, first-look production deal with Universal under Clavius Base.
1998 Served as a producer on "Beloved".
This isn't the Deep Throat movie I think it is, is it?
Hank's must need a tax write off.
Sorry, bud; it's not. ;-)
:)
I'll not buy or read the book, nor will I watch, rent or buy the damn movie.
I assume they found someone younger to replace Ms. Lovelace?
I agree. MAJOR LEAGUE FLOP! We watched the real thing already. What could we possibly learn that would be the truth?!
Prepare yourself for another flop, Tom.
Or at least someone still living!
Jenna Jameson, I should hope.
.....and to ,....feature rising 'Star',......'Chuck Colson'.....?
:-)
(Too good to be true?)
:-)
I can see it now: the new movie will be called "Catch Me If You Can". Hanks can probably get Leonardo DiCaprio to play the young Felt and he... what? oh, sorry.
This one has already been made.
My bad.
I would not trust hollyweird to make this a good movie.
Based on the MSM self congratulatory orgy fest there is not going to be any honesty about this sad pathetic pencil pusher.
As it turned out Deep Throat was not a watergate paragon of virtue, it was just a pathetic vengence for having his career caped off.
Hollyweird has such a disconect from reality they can not grasp how the MAJORITY of american now sees the truth of Woodward and Bernstein's "work" and this joke.
Forrest Gump = Deep throat?
Oh, that's funny......somebody mentioned that in the first stories..........LOL. He was EVERYWHERE, wasn't he?
I predict it will be another one of those left wing wet dreams like that movie about the woman VP candidate who turns out to have "slept around." I don't know the name. I remember Medved comenting on it.
They will push to give it a PG rating so they can get the propaganda into the schools. They will also give a cameo shot to Hitlary as a lawyer working on the Nixon impeachment papers.
ROFLOL!
Excuse me, didn't they already make this picture? "All The President's Men", seems to ring a bell. Since Felt's memory is supposedly shot (along with his conscience), aren't Woodie and Bernie the only authorities in this regard? And didn't the stunning Bob Redford (as the butt-ugly Bob Woodward) and the somewhat less than stunning Dustin Hoffman (as the even more unstunning Carl Bernstein) already give us the definitive, never to be forgotten (or repeated) portrayal of the Watergate scandal? I realize that Hollywood is derivative writ large, but it would seem to be a desecration of a sacred iconic film to redo ATPM. Of course, they could take a different approach, like telling the truth, but that would be a bit much to expect of the Hollywood Left.
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