'Venom' will take back seat to 'Matt Helm'

October 17, 3:33 PMCapital District Movies ExaminerJim Dixon

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Dean Martin as the sixties version of Matt Helm
http://blog.screenweek.it/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/matt-helm.jpg

Seems like just the other day we reported that Gary Ross (“Pleasantville”, Seabiscuit”) was going to direct the “Spider-Man” spin-off, “Venom.”  Actually, it was just the other day.  Things have changed.

The Geek Files are reporting that “Venom” may be getting put on hold, because Gary Ross is replacing Steven Spielberg as the director of a new movie based on the “Matt Helm” novels.  Paramount apparently wanted to reboot the old sixties spy character originally played by Dean Martin more in the style of the “Bourne” movies.  Spielberg was going to get the project, but lost it after the messy divorce between Paramount and Spielberg’s Dreamworks Studios.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci of the first two “Transformers” movies are said to be producing with a screenplay by Paul Attanasio (“Donnie Brasco”, “Quiz Show”).  George Clooney has reportedly passed on the lead role.  Jon Hamm was then said to be in the running but the prime contender is now apparently Bradley Cooper. 

The new deal would leave “Venom” in limbo.  Ross has also been rewriting “Spider-Man 4” for Columbia.   

The Matt Helm character was created by novelist Donald Hamilton.  He appeared in twenty-seven novels over a period of more than thirty years.  The character was far more hard-boiled in the novels than in the Dean Martin movie adaptations.  Titles of the original novels include “Death of a Citizen”, “The Wrecking Crew”, “The Silencers”, “The Terrorizers” and “The Annihilators.” 

“Matt Helm” is scheduled to start shooting in summer of 2010.