Jennifer Lopezis in negotiations to star with Richard Gere in Miramax Films' remake of1996 Japanese megahit Shall We Dance' which Peter Chelsom will direct. The film would markLopez's third film with Miramax after Jersey Girl which is scheduled to open in Nov in theUS and An Unfinished Life which starts shooting in April.

Gere, who ofcourse won a Golden Globe dancing up a storm in Miramax's musicalblockbuster Chicago,will once again take to the dancefloor in the film which tells the story of abored middle-aged accountant who re-energises his life by taking dance lessonsand falls in love with his dance instructor - to be played by Lopez.

Shall WeDance' is one ofMiramax's major new productions in 2003. It has been adapted from theJapanese original written by director Masayuki Suo by Audrey Wells, theaccomplished writer and director whose screenplay credits include The TruthAbout Cats And Dogs, George Of The Jungle, The Kid and the upcoming Raising Helen. She has also written and directed theacclaimed independent Guinevere and the upcoming film of Frances Mayes' book Under TheTuscan Sun starringDiane Lane for Touchstone Pictures.

Chelsom'slast film was 2001 romantic comedy Serendipity for Miramax, which grossed $50.3m in thedomestic market. He also directed The Mighty for the studio in 1998 and Hear MySong to which Miramaxbought domestic rights in 1991. Simon Fields, who has produced allChelsom's films, will produce Shall We Dance'

JulieGoldstein, executive voce president of development and European productions,and Jennifer Berman, vice president of production and development, will overseethe production on behalf of Miramax, reporting to co-presidents of productionMeryl Poster and Bob Osher. Osher is negotiating the deal with Lopez forMiramax.

InKevin Smith's Jersey Girl,Lopez co-stars with fiance Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in the story of aman coming to terms with his new wife and six year-old daughter. In AnUnfinished Life, which is directedby Lasse Hallstrom, Lopez stars as a single mother forced to move in with herestranged father-in-law. Robert Redford and Josh Lucas co-star. Miramax haswordwide rights on Jersey Girl and domestic rights only on An UnfinishedLife, which is a co-production withRevolution Studios. Revolution is handling international distribution throughColumbia TriStar.

Shall We Dance' starred Koji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari in the leadroles. It grossed $9.7m for Miramax in 1997 and was at one time being developedfor Tom Hanks as star and Jon Turteltaub as director.

Topics