In the end, they decided not to use the lance a lot
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer didn’t mind shedding some of the blood and violence in his new action flick, “King Arthur.” Battle scenes were edited to bring the movie, which opens today, in at a PG-13 rating instead of the original R rating.
Disney, the film’s distributor, originally planned to release the film in the fall, a more adult-oriented season when the R rating would have made sense. After the movie was moved to the more competitive summer, filmmakers wanted to broaden the audience, Bruckheimer said.
He would have faced questions had he stuck with the bloodier version, too, he said.
“If I were sitting here and this picture was R, everybody would be saying, ‘Why do you have the violence, why do you need the gratuitous violence? Do you have to chop off people’s heads?’ ” Bruckheimer said. “So, you know, whatever I do is wrong.”
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “King Arthur” stars Clive Owen in the title role and Keira Knightley as Guinevere.
Raking in the Spidey dollars and cents
Director Sam Raimi says he’s “flabbergasted” by the box-office success of “Spider-Man 2,” but he’s too busy writing the next film to relax and enjoy it.
“Spider-Man 2,” starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, pulled in a record $180 million in its first six days in North American theaters. Raimi said he felt pressure to repeat the success of the original movie but added: “There was a lot of pressure, but I felt so much more pressure just to please the fans. We don’t think about it as a big and loud production as much as a love story.”
All they’re seeing these days is green
Four would-be filmmakers have filed suit against the Wayans brothers, claiming they stole the idea for their movie “White Chicks,” about black FBI agents who protect white hotel heiresses (think Paris and Nikki Hilton) by posing as them.
The four men’s script, titled “Johnny Bronx,” is about a bumbling black FBI agent who impersonates a white man to infiltrate the mob.
“We feel not only does it rip us off, but it’s not even as good,” said one of the four, Mario Pittore.
Will she still be the wife after tomorrow?
Dennis Quaid, star of the global warming flick “The Day After Tomorrow,” celebrated Independence Day by getting married to Texas real estate agent Kimberley Buffington in Montana.
It’s the third marriage for Quaid, 50, who previously was wed to actresses P.J. Soles and Meg Ryan.
For this Spelling, ‘b’ is for bride
Tori Spelling, best known for her role as Donna on TV’s “Beverly Hills, 90210,” also has tied the knot.
Spelling, the 31-year-old daughter of TV producer Aaron Spelling, and actor-writer Charlie Shanian were married Saturday at her parents’ Los Angeles home. It is the first marriage for both.
Once again, it’s Hasselhoff to the rescue
Former “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff will make his British stage debut next week in “Chicago,” as scheming lawyer Billy Flynn.
“This is not about making money — this is about following my heart, challenging myself and having fun,” said Hasselhoff, who made his Broadway debut in “Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical” in 2001.
The birthday bunch
Bandleader Doc Severinsen is 77. Drummer Ringo Starr is 64. Country singer Linda Williams is 57. Actress Shelley Duvall is 55. Actor Billy Campbell (“Once and Again”) is 45. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 41. Actress Cree Summer (“A Different World”) is 35. Actor Troy Garity (“Barbershop”) is 31.