To: T L Comiskey who wrote (46873 ) 1/23/2002 1:28:13 PM From: stockman_scott Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 65232 Enron at Box Office? Never Say Never in Hollywood Saturday January 19 By Sue Zeidler and Doug Young LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Here's the pitch: A thriller about a tough working mom who tries to blow the lid off a financial scam at a giant energy company that ultimately leads to the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history and threatens to drag down the White House with it. A movie about Enron Corp? Well, maybe. Think of it as ``All the President's Men'' meets ``The Insider.'' While no studios have announced they are developing a film about the Enron Corp debacle -- and Washington's conduct is just now becoming a focus of the scandal's probes -- creative juices in Hollywood are already flowing. Writers and producers admit that at first glance the financial undoing of Enron lacks the pizzazz needed to draw viewers, but they say that with the right talent like writers, directors and stars, a movie is possible. Writers cite other big movies involving corporate intrigue such as ``The Insider,'' starring Russell Crowe as a tobacco industry whistle-blower and ``Erin Brockovich,'' starring Julia Roberts as single-mother-turned-environmentalist-crusader and the 1993 TV movie ``Barbarians at the Gate,'' about the fight to control RJR Nabisco. The hit, ``All the President's Men,'' chronicled how journalists uncovered the Watergate scandal that doomed President Richard Nixon. Many said there is even greater potential for a feature film now that the scandal has moved from a Wall Street story to a hot topic on political and general TV talk shows. ``This story is huge. Look at 'The Insider,''' said one Hollywood writer. ``One way to get into the story is by telling it through the eyes of the woman who gave the notice,'' he said. Jeff Gaspin, programming director for NBC said he has yet to receive any Enron pitches. ``On the surface, I'd say it seems pretty dry,'' said . ``We haven't even discussed it internally.'' Nevertheless, Gaspin agreed that a compelling movie could be made down the road when all the facts come out and if the right filmmaker and the screenplay are attached to it. ``It's all about the writer's interpretation,'' he said. ''There's a lot of stories you wouldn't think would make good movies, but a writer has a vision for it and it works.'' WATKINS IN STAR ROLE The Enron ``woman'' is Sherron Watkins, a 42-year-old executive who shot to prominence in the still-unfolding saga after it was disclosed she first raised concerns about Enron's accounting practices to Enron's CEO Kenneth Lay in August. These concerns did not come to light for months and by early December when Enron filed for bankruptcy it was embroiled in allegations of influence peddling, abuse of power, conflicts of interest, criminal probes and congressional inquiries. Enron's former auditor, accounting giant Arthur Andersen, has also come under intense scrutiny amid revelations of document shredding and allegations of a cover-up. Now the story has moved to Washington where the administration faces questions about both President Bush (news - web sites)'s and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites)'s ties to the energy trading company. ``At the very least, it's an HBO movie. It all really depends a little on where it goes from here,'' the Hollywood writer, requesting anonymity, said. HBO said there is no Enron project underway at the network. Quinn Taylor, who oversees TV movies and miniseries for ABC, said he also has yet to be pitched any ideas based on the Enron collapse. ``I have a feeling if they were going to pitch it, they would be pitching it,'' he said. ``They don't usually wait for an ending. ... The body does not even have to be cold.'' He said a main concern among studios and networks -- which would have to finance such a project -- would be the lack of mass appeal for such a movie. ``I'm not sure that a broad audience knows enough to care or understand. Frankly I'm not sure I do,'' he said. Tom Cook, a screenwriter currently working on a mini-series about the life of Bob Hope and a writer on the film ``China Syndrome,'' said it was still too early to tell. ``We don't know yet whether there is a political scandal. If the movie was to be about greedy businessmen cheating their employees out of their 401Ks (retirement funds), that story doesn't have enough spice to make a sale,'' he said. But never say never, especially in Hollywood. ``Someone will probably make a movie about it. The story's certainly well-documented in the media,'' said Mark Vega, a TV and film attorney with Los Angeles-based Greenberg, Traurig during a phone interview from the Sundance Film Festival (news - web sites). ``The way it goes is that it's first in the news media. Then, the in-depth personal pieces about how people's lives were affected come out. Then, more lengthy things like novels emerge and, boom, you've got a TV show or a movie,'' he said.