Genre: Romance.
Studio:
Warner Bros.
Production Company:
DiNovi Pictures.
Project Phase: Greenlighted.
Who's In It:
Kevin Costner; Robin Wright Penn; Paul Newman; John Savage (Johnny Land); Jesse James.
Who's Making It:
Luis Mandoki (Director); Gerald DiPego (Screenwriter); Denise DiNovi (Producer);
David Lester (Executive Producer); based upon the novel by Nicholas Sparks.
Premise: A female journalist finds a mysterious love letter in a bottle that's washed ashore on Cape Cod. She is so moved by the words she reads that she sets out to find the letter-writer.
Release Date: February 12, 1999.
Comments: Unknown.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
January 25, 1998... Sparks, the film's screenwriter, also wrote the novel The Notebook. He sold the Message in a Bottle script for $1.5 million in early 1997. Warners hopes to begin shooting the picture come March or April '98. [Page drafted and submitted by 'Deadpool'. Special thanks to 'Teddy Bear', who sent us their own email in a bottle.]
February 19, 1998... Thanks to some official help from one of our 'Brothers', we've ironed out some kinks in the cast and crew section at the top of this page. Sydney Pollack is not directing the picture (his next picture is to be Random Hearts with HArrison Ford, we're told by 'st7i9'; instead, Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman, Born Yesterday) is. Also, the screenplay was written by Gerald DiPego and not the book's author, Nicolas Sparks, as we had previously reported. At least we got Denise DeNovi's credit right... [A big nod to K.C. for sending us the correct material.]
It also looks like Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman will co-star alongside Costner in the film. Executive Producer will be David Lester, and the production starts in April. [Sent in by 'C14S1657', Janie D., Brian Swanson, 'Teddy Bear', 'prill', 'st7i9', .]
February 23, 1998... Helicopters have been spotted taking photos over Tangier Island, which is in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, apparently scouting locations for the film. Massachusetts' Cape Cod and North Carolina's Outer Banks also have been mentioned as possible sites. Also, Paul Newman is attracted to the Chesapeake Bay and recommended it to Kevin Costner, so chances are the pic could film there. There's also a large bed and breakfast on the isolated Tangier Island that has reportedly been reserved by the film company; the website 'www.pilotonline.com', which covers that area, has reported on it. [Mucho gracias to 'prill'.]
April 28, 1998... Time for a update on what's been happening with this one. The film will be shooting all over the country. We've heard of casting calls in L.A., Chicago, New Harbor, Maine, Cheasapeake Bay, Maryland and somewhere in Virginia
By mid-April the plan was to shoot in and around a small fishing community named Phippsburg in Maine in May, specifically around Popham Beach and up the coast in the Bristol area. Tig Production manager Jim Wilson told The Times Record, a local paper, "Maine is really the heart and soul of the movie," and also mentioned that Costner himself called the state "'painfully beautiful' ". Shooting was scheduled to begin in early May and be completed sometime in June. [Thanks to 'prill'.]
But there was some controversy from the local residents in one of those small towns. In early April town officials on Tangiers Island objected to the film's sexual subject matter and cursing. Again The Times Record covered the debate as to whether to allow Tig Productions permission to film in the Phippsburg local area. Local area resident Dan DelRossi first told us about this potential stumbling block. Tig had previously filmed here for the production Head Above Water. The production was seeking council permission to either refurbish and existing cottage or construct a new one for filming on Popham Beach. [Mucho gracias to Dan DelRossi.]
It's been a series of setbacks for WB. The town of Gayhead on Nantucket denied the studio's request to film along a section of sand dunes, and then Martha's Vineyard did so too. The production wanted to construct a temporary 3,000-square-foot house on stilts in the dunes near Chilmark Pond. This time it wasn't bad language or liquor that did in the production, which was scheduled to begin April 1, but nature. The commissioners were afraid that the grass on the beach would be trampled and wouldn't grow back in time for hurricane season, which begins June 1. [Credit 'Badfish', 'prill' and 'Mr. Show' for the gossip.]
Then a few weeks before the main shoot was to commence, the town council of Tangiers Island turned down their offer. The Salisbury, Maryland newspaper Daily Times reported on March 12th that the religious community on the Island stated that the reason was indeed because of the script's sexual content and cursing in it. The Times quoted Stuart Neumann, a WB official who commented on the matter: "It's like Children of the Corn over there. There is no separation of church and state. It's a perfect example of grassroots fundamentalism gone totally out of control. It's taken over the minds of an entire town." [Sent in by 'Blue Eyes 25'.]
Tangiers Island Mayor Dewey Crockett told United Press International his side of the story. While Crockett agreed the money would have been nice, ``it would also be undermining what we have stood for all these years," he said. [Contributed by Gemma and Mac.]
We also heard the island administrators supposedly asked if the script could be altered, but when the producers said no the island owners decided the production company should find a new locale. This all went down when the cast was rehearsing and shooting their scenes in Los Angeles. [Scooped by 'Tyrant15'.]
Another local threw us their two cents on the matter. "My family who lives on the Maryland shores of Chesapeake Bay told me that residents on Tangier Island rallied to refuse filming in their community. Apparently, they didn't want Hollywood to change the quiet nature of that island. Money or fame is not what they want there..." [Anonymous.]
And then we had our first book review from someone who had just read the new release. "Just got done reading the book 'Message in a Bottle'. It was a beautifully wriiten and very romantic love story. I could not put it down. It looks like the movie we have all been waiting to see him do!!!" [Review by 'prill'.]
[Thanks also go out to 'Plateau14' and 'Teddy Bear' for their contributions.]
June 28, 1998... "Just got back from a short trip to Maine and thought you'd like to hear the latest poop on Message in a Bottle. Filming on the beach at Popham has been suspended for a while due to lousy weather (foggy, rainy). The crew moved south about 30 miles to Portland, where on Wednesday, June 24 they worked at a building on Danforth Street. Reportedly they've spent about $100,000 refurbishing a $179,000 house (paint job, new kitchen) to make it look like a Chicago townhouse. No signs of the stars at the set, though Costner was spotted the previous night at a local nightclub. All of this was reported in the Portland Press Herald. Also, the film crew apparently did terrible damage to an old maple tree outside the house, and the city promptly sent a crew to cut the tree down (a truck had backed into it).
[Thanks to 'hacaro' for passing it along.]
November 16, 1998... A positive advance word on the film will perk up the hopes for all fans of Kevin Costner, right? Today you're ship has come in.
"Caught a screening of the first cut of Message in a Bottle here in Thousand Oaks the other night... The cast is excellent, a great script, beautiful cinematography, and a great ending, which will probably be changed, knowing the hollywood machine... Paul Newman has a small role but is great. Illeana Douglas is also great in a small role. Very romantic film, and it had the whole audience in tears when the lights came up, men and women... More later..." [Reviewed by anonymous.]
December 15, 1998... The release date pops back a week to February 5, 1999. [Sent in by Lynn Morganroth.]
January 12, 1999... Warner Bros. has launched the film's Official Web Site located at www.message-bottle.com, where you can download the trailer and read up on sailing sites. Also, the site mentions that sneak previews of the film will take place on two Saturdays, January 30th and February 6th. [Thanks to Matthew Reed.]
Official Web Site: www.message-bottle.com
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