Nick Cassavetes, the master of three-hankie weepies such as “The Notebook” and “My Sister’s Keeper” is suing New Line for bumping him off “Peaceable Kingdom,” a biopic about Dame Daphne Sheldrick‘s efforts to prevent elephant extinction in Kenya.
According to THR (and Cassavetes), New Line head honcho Toby Emmerich asked the director to do a page one rewrite (meaning a total overhaul) of the script, with the promise that he would be able to direct the project. Cassavetes agreed but once he turned in the script, Emmerich promptly told him his services were no longer needed. Cassavetes is now suing the studio for $1,050,000, $750,000 of which is his usual writing fee (note to self: we need to get an agent) plus another $300,000 which New Line initially promised him for script development services ($25,000 of which was earmarked for an office — we seriously need to get an agent). He is also suing for millions more for his directing fee, and wages lost on other jobs he turned down while working on this film.
The project, also known under the working title “Elephant Orphanage,” definitely sounds like something that would be right up Cassavetes’ alley. It’s an “issues” film like “John Q” with a heart-tugging center, and we would wager the studio was eyeing a “Gorillas In The Mist” kind of vibe. There is no word yet on who New Line who has lined up to take the director’s chair, but we would advise them to stay clear of Cassavetes.