Memoirs of a Geisha

Genre: Drama.

Studio: Columbia Pictures (Domestic); Dreamworks SKG(International).
Production Company: Unknown.

Project Phase: Development Hell.

Who's In It: Maggie Cheung (Mameha); Rika Okamoto; Julyana Soelistyo.
Who's Making It: Steven Spielberg (Director); Douglas Wick (Producer); Ron Bass (Screenwriter); based on the novel by Arthur Golden.

Premise: In 1929, a nine-year-old girl Japanese girl named Nitta Sayuri was sold to slavers so she could be molded to become a geisha.

Release Date: Unknown.

Comments: Steven Spielberg had been circling several projects in the days after his work on Saving Private Ryan was complete. Some of these projects included a picture about pilot Charles Lindbergh, and three projects we only know by their titles: The Notebook, Mozart and the Whale and Up River. Eventually, Spielberg settled on Memoirs as his next film. He's commented that the book had touched him deeply.

Rumors: Unknown.

Scoop Feedback:

[Page draft submitted by 'Deadpool'.]

April 29, 1998... Daily Variety reports that Steven Spielberg's next film as director will be Memoirs of a Geisha, a screen adaptation of the bestselling novel by Arthur Golden. Columbia Pictures and DreamWorks said they will co-finance the picture, with the former taking domestic rights and the latter international.

Currently a working budget nor a screenwriter have been decided upon. However, the parties said they hoped to get the film into production by October, possibly shooting in Japan. Golden will be involved as an "informal consultant" but will not write the screenplay. The novel is written in the form of a memoir. It's described by Daily Variety as "an epic Cinderella story set against the exotic and sumptuous background of a vanished world."

In a statement made during the film's announcement, Spielberg said "I believe in love at first sight, which is probably why I fell so hard for Arthur Golden's novel." "It's a challenging book that breaks all the rules," said Douglas Wick, who will produce with Spielberg. "It'll be an epic story, set over a period of 60 years with strong female lead characters." Columbia Pictures president Amy Pascal said the film will be a "director-driven" project, modestly budgeted and with no major Hollywood stars. [Information formatted by 'Deadpool'.]

June 23, 1998... What appears to be a continent-wide casting call for the lead character is happening right now. Ads calling for a good-looking Asian woman, approximately 20 years of age and preferably of Japanese descent have been appearing in city papers around North America. No acting experience is required but the actor must speak fluent English. The ads also state that the movie will be shot early next year in Japan and California. [You can thank 'spirit' and anonymous for having their reading glasses on.]

July 28, 1998... "Spielberg has found his lead" our scooper begins their email with. "She's a dancer from the Martha Graham school of dance in NYC. No name has been given out yet but they're still casting for other roles." We hope additional material will confirm this scooper's claims. [Anonymous.]

September 3, 1998... Our previous scooper claim has been validated. Yesterday the production announced who'll be playing the lead role in Memoirs -- Rika Okamoto, the former principal dancer at the Martha Graham school of dance. In late July one of our fans scooped us that a dancer from the Martha Graham school had landed the lead role.

The other casting decision announced was for Broadway actress Julyana Soelistyo.

October 13, 1998... Maggie Cheung has joined the cast of Columbia Pictures' Memoirs of a Geisha, director Steven Spielberg's epic Cinderella story set against the exotic and sumptuous background of a vanished world, it was announced today by the studio.

Cheung has been cast in the pivotal role of Mameha, the mentor of Nitta Sayuri, a nine-year-old girl sold into slavery at one of Kyoto's most renowned geisha houses. Under Mameha's tutelage, Nitta grows to maturity and becomes one of the stars of the geisha world as the Second World War looms on the horizon. [Scoop provided by 'DeadPool' taken from the press release]

November 22, 1998... According to this SW1-inspired scooper, Spielberg's officially shelved Memoirs of a Geisha, citing concerns about the movie premiering so close to the eve of the new millennium. The scooper adds that Spielberg is either working on a project called MINORITY REPORT (based on a Philip K. Dick work, and possibly to star Tom Cruise) or another futuristic Cruise project called SPARES (or perhaps, there's truth to the rumors that the script to INDY 4 is indeed ready to go?)

In any case, we haven't heard any official DreamWorks announcement about the picture's dissolution just yet. [Scooped by 'Darth Maul'.]



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