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駁命來電
Cellular

手提電話已經是我們日常生活一部份，有些是你一聽便想掛斷的來電，可是如果你聽到一個陌生女人向你求救的來電，請不要以為對方在開玩笑，你是她絕望中的唯一希望，因為她正被綁架，而且她丈夫及兒子正是匪徒下一個目標 …..

故事大綱
謝茜嘉馬田（金碧辛嘉　飾）是一名生活安定的高中理科教師，一日她風平浪靜的生活突然刮起滔天大浪，以基亞（積遜史迪咸　飾）為首的五名來歷不明狂徒竟然把謝茜嘉從其寓所中擄走，綁架到一個神秘的地點，謝茜嘉深知自己生命危在旦夕，而且又不知這班綁匪動機何在，更甚的是基亞表示其丈夫和兒子將會是他們的下一個目標。自身難保的謝茜嘉唯有竭力把一個損毀的電話重組，暗中接駁到一個不知名的電話號碼，希望有奇蹟出現打救她。

接電話的一邊是一個生活悠閒、無所事事的20歲小伙子──賴恩（基斯伊雲斯　飾），聲稱被人綁架，基斯最初半信半疑，但從謝茜嘉恐懼的聲線中意識到她的確命懸一線，她一家人的生命現在無疑已在他手上，這個原本對周圍漠不關心的年青人搖身一變成為一個肩負救人使命的英雄，但奈何對方完全不知自己身在何方，而其手提電話的電力又快將耗盡，他必須與時間來一次較量。

賴恩決定即使走遍洛杉磯的大街小巷，也要找到謝茜嘉藏身之處，盡力把她拯救出來，同時他又要阻止其家人落入綁匪的魔掌之中，而且電話的另一邊似乎已有種種難關和險阻默默地等著他，他可能要為此付出沉重的代價……

製作花絮
醞釀多時如願拍攝
其實早在數年前《Cellular》已有計劃投入製作，資深編劇兼導演拉利高安（Larry Cohen）為電影撰寫了一個劇本，當年仍任職新力電影執行副總裁的羅倫萊特（Lauren Lloyd）看過後十分喜歡，但無奈她未能說服其他高層籌拍這部電影，她說：「當我初次看這個劇本時，男主角是一個曾犯罪的人，女主角也不是被綁架，但當中因為某人有生命危險而不能掛斷手提電話的意念深印在我腦海中。」而後來拉利再撰寫了由哥連菲路（Colin Farrell）主演的同類型電影《來電險事》，此片2002年上映時即登上票房冠軍寶座。

其後羅倫離開新力成為獨立電影製作人，她立即邀請其好友、《天煞－地球反擊戰》及《孤軍雄心》監製甸迪夫連（Dean Devlin）一同計劃製作本片，他倆找來基斯摩根（Chris Morgan）重新編寫故事情節，最終成為了本片現在的劇本。基斯說：「我一直喜愛電影中那些不是最聰明和堅強、但有一顆熾熱的心的英雄，就像《奪寶奇兵》系列的鍾博士。我也喜歡加添幽默感，例如《奪》片的鍾博士與一名劍客決鬥時，他只是乾脆拿出槍射死他，這不是一個笑話，但觀眾都會捧腹大笑，這正是我們嘗試加入劇本中的一點幽默。」

而導演大�靜.伊利斯（David R. Ellis）也特別以一個較真實和新鮮的手法去處理動作場面，而不像一般電影只以一連串誇張的爆炸場面取悅觀眾。大��說：「主角賴恩不是一個超級英雄，我們的挑戰是特別要設計一些配合這角色身份的動作場面。他處於一個很特別的狀況中，但同時我們不想看見他把其他人的車子撞到翻起，或是身體著火這些不設合他的誇張情節。」

悉心挑選主要演員
為了能完全表現本片女主角謝茜嘉複雜的情緒，監製們找來演技早獲肯定的金像女星金碧辛嘉演繹這個難度甚高的角色。雖然謝茜嘉神秘地被人綁架，但她同時也要為拯救自己和家人的性命而奮力與匪徒對抗，因此金碧辛嘉詮釋這角色時既要表現出恐懼和軟弱，也要突顯其勇敢及堅強的一面。事實證明金的演出恰如其分，監製甸迪夫連說：「她在片中的演出完全沒有表現其自我，她沒有嘗試讓自己顯得美麗或英勇，反而只是投入到在那個處境的角色中，把主角的弱點和野蠻的一面都表現出來。」

而金本人也表示很珍惜今次的演出：「我認為這次是作為一個演員的獨特機會，因為這就像是一個戲劇表演，我在裡面是多麼的孤單，同時我有機會帶領觀眾一起進入那個連我自己也不知道為何會在那裡的閣樓小房間，我也不知道那些匪徒將會對我做甚麼。」

本片另一主角、無所事事的典型二十歲青年賴恩則由新星基斯伊雲斯扮演，監製們都相信他並非池中物，羅倫萊特說：「基斯有潛質成為下一個湯告魯斯。現在找一個電影明星很困難，但他擁有男士羨慕女士鍾情的特質，他也有對人和生命的好奇心，令他成為一個出色的觀察者，這也是他能夠發掘這個角色的深度的原因。」而積遜史迪咸對於喜愛動作電影的觀眾並不陌生，他今次被選中扮演綁匪首領一角，積遜坦言這是一次不俗的嘗試：「我常常認為扮演一個壞蛋是很有趣的事，因為他們的行為都是不能預測的，你可以這樣演繹他們，而且這些角色不像大多數角色般有很多限制。」

臨場發揮力求迫真
金碧辛嘉為了幫助自己投入這個因被綁架而極度驚恐的角色，她希望周遭的環境也要有真實感，在拍攝時她特別向導演大��要求清場，只有極少數人士可以留在片場內，好讓她有一種孤單獨處的感覺。金說：「我想感到完全孤獨，同時我也希望觀眾能投入我的處境，感受一下我的震驚和歇斯底里。」

此外，金與扮演綁匪的積遜史迪咸拍攝動作場面前，雖然會與導演開會，但他們刻意不進行綵排，也沒有在事前商量拍攝細節，導演只會把他的要求告知積遜，因為金不想知道積遜會對她做出甚麼舉動，她向積遜表示一定要令她大吃一驚，金說：「拍攝時我聽到門外的腳步聲，我就像所有觀眾一樣，完全沒有頭緒接下來會有甚麼事情發生。」正如其中一場戲講述積遜向金表示他已知道其兒子在何處，並準備綁架他，當積遜入房後，把皮帶脫下，然後緊緊勒著金的頸令她窒息，其實事前連金也不知道積遜會這樣做，導演也大讚拍出來的效果非常震撼。

隔空演戲難度大增
對於本片兩位主角金碧辛嘉及基斯伊雲斯來說，最獨特的挑戰莫過於在拍攝過程中大部份時間都以電話與對方交談，而且由於片中他們互不相識素未謀面，二人特別避免在拍攝前面對面相見，直至拍攝接近完成才與對方會面，盡量保持一份陌生的感覺。本片大部份時間金與基斯都是一個人演戲，二人的戲份是分開拍攝，導演安排基斯先拍攝其戲份，他須完全跟足劇本所寫的對白去演，而且他有很多動作場面，一邊駕車一邊拿著電話演戲，在時間拿�迨W是特別困難，而金則在最後數星期才投入拍攝，她須隨著基斯預先錄好的對白作出反應。

導演大��說：「我們要在剪接上下點功夫，令二人的對話產生化學作用，你要知道絕大部份時間他倆都不是一起在電話對話，這就要視乎我們在每一邊的對話如何剪接，以及如何作出適當的暫停，使到觀眾感覺到他倆的確是在通電話。」

展示洛城另類魅力
近年荷李活大多數的製作為求節省製作成本，都會選擇到加拿大甚至其他海外國家取景，但本片卻罕有地接近全程在美國洛杉磯拍攝，連監製甸迪夫連都為此深感自豪：「我們很高興所有攝製隊人員都不辭勞苦工作，本國很多製作都到其他地方拍攝，我們對於能夠在洛杉磯進行拍攝感到很驕傲。」

甸迪夫連又表示安排本片在洛杉磯拍攝，除了能達到全片天氣一致的效果外，也希望展示洛杉磯極端的速度感，因為本片就像《生死時速》一樣沒有喘息的空間。基斯扮演的賴恩以飛快的速度駕車，在洛杉磯到處橫衝直撞，讓觀眾以一個嶄新的角度去體驗這個天使之城。

另一監製萊特續說：「大家經常在電影中看見荷李活的標誌或日落大道，今次我們想展示的是洛杉磯美麗的一面，尤其是聖坦莫尼卡碼頭的那場戲，該處的色彩豐富，由藍天到綠樹，而且五光十色的燈光不斷閃爍，奪目非常。」

天氣難測面對挑戰
天氣一向是拍攝電影的重要關鍵，尤其本片的故事發生在一天裡，而且全片大部份都是戶外的場景，可是真正拍攝的時間卻要用上兩個月，要讓觀眾不察覺當中的差別實是攝製人員一項艱巨的挑戰。

甸迪夫連說：「這完全有賴製作總監、導演及攝影師的通力合作，令觀眾欣賞時有一致的感覺，事實上即使洛杉磯的天氣是頗為穩定，但也有陰晴圓缺的時候，一天是大霧，一天是晴朗，一天有陰雲，一天則下雨，我們的電影絕不能出現這種情況，所以我們經常要花點心思，而且須很注意拍攝的方法，好讓整部電影看來就像在一天裡發生。」

特訓成功親身上陣
在電影開拍前，基斯特別到特技駕駛學校特訓一星期，好讓他能夠親身上陣拍攝驚險的飛車場面。基斯坦言這個星期的訓練是他一生中最難忘的一段時間，他說：「這個經驗實在太有趣！他們教我各種各樣的技術，例如一百八十度轉彎、三百六十度轉圈及把汽車滑移至平行的泊車點等，總之包羅萬有。」導演大��說：「很多特技場面基斯都盡可能親身上陣，他上過特技駕駛課程後表現得非常出色，能夠準確地把車子滑移到指定的停車標記上，而且的確是他自己做到，所以我們不用煩瑣地先轉到其他角度，然後再剪接上基斯的鏡頭，這真是很棒！」

此外，由於基斯在片中經常都要表現得驚慌焦慮和氣急敗壞，因此他拍攝每場戲前，都會跳上跳下及做掌上壓，以增加迫真效果，而且不少場面他都要以極高速度跑樓梯以及在馬路上奔馳，他直言這不只是一個艱苦挑戰，也是一次上佳的體能鍛鍊。

懸疑緊湊兼而有之
本片的獨特之處在於電影沒有冷場、又有悅目的動作場面之外，同時也可感受到眾角色與他們所處的環境之間的緊張迫力所帶出的懸疑性，因此本片既是一部出色的懸疑驚慄片，同時也可視為一部動作電影。

節奏明快緊湊是本片一大賣點，當中沒有讓觀眾有絲毫喘息的機會，充滿當年《生死時速》的活力。基斯說：「我認為本片唯一緩慢的時刻是劇本首兩頁，開場時我在海灘碼頭散步的時候，但當我一接到電話之後，電影便沒有停過，我想當觀眾看完本片後，會覺得為何會那麼快完結，他們好像只看了半小時罷了。」

演員簡介
金碧辛嘉（Kim Basinger）
現年50歲的金碧辛嘉在喬治亞州雅典城出生及成長，她16歲時參加喬治亞州青春小姐選舉順利勝出，繼而赴紐約出戰美國青春小姐選舉，後來她獲模特兒公司賞識，短短時日便成為高薪名模，拍攝過無數廣告。

金在76年開始投身演藝界拍攝電視劇，83年她在《鐵金剛勇奪巡航導彈》（Never Say Never Again）中出任性感邦女郎而嶄露頭角，其後她憑《九個半星期》（Nine 1/2 Weeks）及《蝙蝠俠》（Batman）等電影把事業推上高峰。雖然金接連放棄演出《本能》及《緣份的天空》等賣座作品，簡接造就莎朗史東（Sharon Stone）及美琪賴恩（Meg Ryan）大紅，但她終憑97年電影《幕後嫌疑犯》（L.A. Confidential）連奪奧斯卡、金球獎及美國演員公會大獎最佳女配角，寫下光輝一頁。金主演的名作還有《天賜奇才》（The Natural）及《8里公路》（8 Mile）等。

基斯伊雲斯（Chris Evans）
23歲的基斯伊雲斯自小便在母親的指導及薰陶下學習跳舞及演戲，令他在高中時期已對演戲產生濃厚興趣。2000年基斯正式入行拍攝電視劇，並瞬即獲電影公司賞識，在翌年上映的青春片《搞乜鬼青春雜作》（Not Another Teen Movie）中擔任男主角。

基斯早前曾與人氣極盛的女星施嘉莉祖安遜（Scarlett Johansson）合作拍攝青春喜劇《The Perfect Score》，現在他則與戴安蓮（Diane Lane）及當奴修打蘭（Donald Sutherland）等拍攝新片《Fierce People》。

積遜史迪咸（Jason Statham）
32歲的英國男星積遜史迪咸未入行前曾是專業跳水選手，代表過英國出戰奧運會及世界跳水錦標賽，此外他還當過時裝模特兒及黑市推銷員。98年積遜在英國導演佳烈治（Guy Ritchie）執導的電影《夠薑四小強》（Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels）中初露鋒芒，之後他再主演佳烈治的作品《邊個夠我薑》（Snatch.），與畢彼特（Brad Pitt）等巨星結片緣。

本身有武術底子的積遜，擅長拍攝動作場面，其中在與舒淇合作的《換命快遞》（The Transporter）中，飛車、潛水及打鬥等動作場面都是他自己親身上陣。積遜近年主演的電影還有《火星幽靈》（Ghosts of Mars）、《最後一強》（The One）及《天羅盜網》（The Italian Job）等。而他現正拍攝由元奎執導的《換命快遞2》（The Transporter 2）。

導演簡介
大�靜.伊利斯（David R. Ellis）
雖然本片只是現年52歲的大�靜伊利斯執導的第3部作品，但他其實是一位資深特技人，入行接近30年。80年代中期，他開始在電影及電視作品中擔任副導演，至今參與過的作品接近40部，其中包括《童心闖未來》、《驚濤駭浪》、《哈利波特－神秘的魔法石》及《22世紀殺人網絡2決戰未來》等。

96年大��首執導筒，執導合家歡喜劇《貓狗也瘋狂續集》（Homeward Bound II Lost In San Francisco），去年上映的驚慄片《死神又來了》是他第2部擔任導演的電影。

CELLULAR

What if you received a call on your cell phone from a complete stranger, with the frantic voice on the other end begging you to help save her life? Would you hang up immediately, thinking it's a prank? What if there's even a remote chance the caller is serious and you're their only remaining hope? What would you do?

A random wrong number on his cell phone sends a young man into a high-stakes race against time to save a woman's life in the action thriller Cellular, a fast-paced film reminiscent of such edge-of-your-seat thrill rides as Speed.

Academy AwardR winner Kim Basinger (The Door in the Floor, L.A. Confidential) stars as Jessica Martin, a high school science teacher and mother whose peaceful life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped from her home by five unknown assailants and taken to a mysterious location. Fearful for her life and completely in the dark as to her abductors' motives, Jessica manages to patch together a shattered telephone and secretly place a call to an unknown number in a last-ditch attempt to save herself. Ryan (Chris Evans of The Perfect Score and Not Another Teen Movie), the carefree young man who answers the panicked call, suddenly finds himself Jessica's last hope.

With no knowledge of Jessica other than her hushed, fearful voice on the other end of the tenuous cell phone connection, Ryan is quickly thrown into a world of deception and murder in a frantic search to find and save her. The lives of Jessica and her family are in his hands, but what is waiting for him on the other side of the line and what will it cost him to find out?

Cellular co-stars an accomplished ensemble cast that includes Jason Statham (The Italian Job, The Transporter), Eric Christian Olsen (Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd), Noah Emmerich (The Truman Show, Windtalkers) and William H. Macy (Fargo, The Cooler). The film is directed by David R. Ellis (Final Destination 2). The screenplay is written by Chris Morgan, from a story by Larry Cohen (Phone Booth). The producers are Dean Devlin (The Patriot, Independence Day, Godzilla) and Lauren Lloyd.

New Line Cinema will distribute Cellular (rated "PG-13" by the M.P.A.A. for "violence, terror situations, language and some sexual references"), filmed on locations throughout Los Angeles, nationwide on September 10th, 2004.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Rrrring…. Rrrring….. Rrrring…

A simple cell phone ring sets off a high-speed, high-stakes adventure in the action thriller Cellular. The film follows an apathetic 20-year-old's transformation from surfing slacker into heroic figure when fate calls on him to save the life of a kidnapped woman, forcing him to race through the streets of Los Angeles in an effort to locate her.

Ironically, the story behind how Cellular came to be is packed with nearly as many twists and turns as the final film itself. The project originated several years ago when a script penned by Larry Cohen - the screenwriter behind another acclaimed phone-related thriller, Phone Booth - came across the desk of Lauren Lloyd, who was working as a Sony Pictures Executive Vice President at the time.

Lloyd liked what she read, but was unable to rally her fellow executives to acquire the project. Still, there was one key element to the story that captured her attention.

"When I first read the script, it was about a guy who wasn't very heroic," says Lloyd. "He was a driver for a bank robbery and the woman wasn't really kidnapped. But this single idea of staying on a cell phone when someone's life is in danger and being unable to hang up, seemed so visceral and immediate that I loved the script."

Shortly after reading the original Cellular script, Lloyd left Sony to become an independent producer. Remembering the potential she saw in the script, she quickly acquired it for herself. Lloyd then took the script to her close friend Dean Devlin, the accomplished producer behind such action blockbusters as Independence Day and The Patriot. Devlin took to the concept and agreed to team up with Lloyd to further develop the project.

Wanting a fresh take on the concept, Devlin and Lloyd brought in screenwriter Chris Morgan, and together they hammered out what would eventually become the final Cellular storyline. For Morgan, the film offered a chance to write the kind of action movie that had always appealed to him - a story about how an everyday person can become heroic when faced with a certain set of trying circumstances.

"I've always been a fan of movies where the hero isn't the smartest or toughest guy, but he is the one with the most heart - someone like Indiana Jones, for example," says Morgan. "And we got really lucky with the casting of Chris Evans, who plays Ryan, because he pulls that off so well. You really believe he's going to go the distance and once you get him on your side, he's a full-on hero."

Morgan also helped inject some humor into the script. Although the film is largely a mixture of fast-paced action and nail-biting suspense, it also manages to mix in its share of comic moments.

"I'm a big fan of situational humor and I feel like comedy plays best when it's the right thing at the right time and not just somebody trying to make a joke," says Morgan. "For example, in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones is faced with fighting the swordsman and he just pulls out a gun and shoots him. That's not really a joke, but it got a huge laugh. That's the kind of humor we tried to work in to this script."

Once the script was completed, the producers set out to find a director with a unique sensibility who could bring a fresh approach to the film's action sequences and blend it with the taut suspense that the script promised. They found their man in David R. Ellis. A veteran stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director turned director, Ellis had recently won over audiences and New Line Cinema executives with his work helming the studio's successful thriller Final Destination 2.

Ellis quickly took to the project and clicked with the challenge of creating realistic action sequences that were exciting without being just a series of explosions. "This film is really a race against time, but with an ordinary college-age kid at the center of it," says Ellis. "Ryan isn't a super-hero and the challenge was to create action that fit with his character."

Ellis notes that in order to do this, it meant the filmmaking team would have to be creative with the situations and sequences they put their protagonist through. "We had to put him in extraordinary circumstances, but at the same time we didn't want to see him putting people in jeopardy with cars turning over and catching fire and stuff like that," he says.

Ellis rose to the occasion as he dealt with this challenge by taking a fresh approach to filming the movie's numerous action sequences and car chase scenes. Rather than focusing on collisions and wreckage, Ellis instead showcased a different side of these familiar scenes.

"The way in which David shot some of these sequences was unlike any other action sequence I've seen in a car chase because it wasn't about the collisions - it was about the near misses," says producer Dean Devlin. "That made for a very interesting way to approach the entire sequence."

Ellis' style also clicked well with the film's cast. "David is a very grounded person who has great appreciation for talent. The director can make or break the attitude and atmosphere on the set" says Kim Basinger, who portrays Jessica Martin. "David is the best I have seen at making sure each individual in each department is treated with respect. Besides all that he is just plain fun!"

With a director on board, the next hurdle for the filmmakers was to figure out where to shoot Cellular, and the production team went to great efforts to try to keep the production in the United States. While they originally planned to shoot in the Boston area, story changes and weather concerns eventually shifted the production to Los Angeles.

"With an enormous amount of films being shot in Canada and overseas to save money, one of the things we're really proud of is that we were able to actually shoot this entirely in Los Angeles," says Dean Devlin. "It's amazing how many people, great crew members, are having a hard time getting work because so much production has left the country. We're really proud of the fact that we got to shoot in Los Angeles."

Shooting in Los Angeles proved to be a boon to the production from both a logistical and creative standpoint.

"By shooting Cellular in Los Angeles, not only were we able to take advantage of the fact that we have fairly consistent weather, but we were really able to show Los Angeles at breakneck speed because this movie can never stop," says Devlin. "Chris Evans' character has to go from LAX to the beach to downtown over the course of this day at nonstop speed. It was really a fun way to re-discover Los Angeles again."

Once the decision was made to shoot the film in Los Angeles, the next task was to paint a portrait of the city that audiences have never seen before.

"What we're trying to do is open up the movie with the everyday colors that we see in Los Angeles," says producer Lauren Lloyd. "A lot of times Los Angeles is shown, you see the Hollywood sign or the Sunset Strip and all these things we've seen 1,000 times. What we wanted to do was just show the beauty of the city. Especially the sequences on the Santa Monica Pier - the colors there go from the blue of the skyline to the trees and all the colors of the lights flashing."

But showing the colors of Los Angeles was not as easy as it sounds - particularly with a story that is set completely during the course of a single day.

"It's one of the things that I think audiences won't think of when they see the film, but the greatest challenge as a filmmaker is that although the story takes place over one day, the actual shoot took place over several months," says Devlin. "So to try to have a couple months all look like the same day when the movie is nearly entirely outdoors is an enormously difficult task, and it took great coordination between the production designer, the director, and the director of photography to make it look consistent. The reality is that even though we have fairly consistent weather in Los Angeles, one day is foggy, one day is sunny, one day has clouds, one day has rain, and we couldn't have that in the film. So we always had to use tricks and we had to be very careful in the way we shot things so that it would all seem like the same day."

While the filmmakers had to constantly focus on making the look consistent, one thing they knew they could count on was the performances of the talented cast they had assembled for the film.

When casting began on Cellular, filmmakers knew they needed to find actors who would be able to pull off the exceptionally challenging roles that the script contained. The search for actors who could handle the requirements of playing everything from isolated suspense to all-out action, resulted in an eclectic group, each of whom brought something different to the production.

For the lead role of Jessica Martin, whose kidnap and predicament sparks the story, producers tapped Academy Award-winning actress Kim Basinger. The demanding role required Basinger to convey a mixture of emotions ranging from fear and weakness to courage and strength as she is mysteriously kidnapped and fights to save the lives of herself and her family.

"It was a hard role to cast because we needed somebody who was sympathetic and could handle the trauma of this role," says producer Lauren Lloyd. "Because every scene with Jessica, she's being traumatized and you have to really believe her."

Basinger proved to be up to the task. "The most surprising thing for me about Kim's performance was the level to which she was willing to take it," says producer Dean Devlin. "There was never an ego in her performance. She wasn't trying to look pretty or heroic. She just allowed herself to be the person in the situation, with all the flaws of that and all the brutality of it."

For Basinger, the key to the role was trying to get in touch with how a woman would feel in the situation and to come to grips with the tension of the story.

"The story is anyone's frightmare being threatened and kidnapped, all the while not knowing why," says Basinger. The human question becomes: 'How do I override this fear in order to think clearly enough to help myself?'"

In order to help herself get in character, Basinger worked closely with director David R. Ellis to create a working environment that simulated the extreme environment her character has been thrown into.

"I so wanted my surroundings to be real, I asked David to clear the set except for the very few people who had to be there," says Basinger. "I wanted to feel totally alone with this emotional, mental, physical challenge and I wanted to pull the audience into the situation with me."

While Basinger had her hands full trying to get in touch with the experience of being alone, her co-star Chris Evans found himself faced with an equally daunting challenge of a different sort.

Evans, a rising star who previously appeared in Not Another Teen Movie and recently landed a starring role as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, plays the film's unlikely hero - a carefree slacker who answers Jessica's call for help and finds himself thrust into the position of being her last hope. The role required a great deal of acting skill - since the majority of scenes involved conversing into a phone. But it also required an actor who was up to the physical demands of the film's action scenes.

"The biggest challenge for me was that for a lot of the movie I am supposed to be just out of breath and panicked," says Evans. "So before every take, I would try to jump up and down and do push-ups. And for some scenes I'm sprinting up flights of stairs and running through traffic, so I got a good workout!"

Evans even wound up spending a week in stunt-driving school so that he could pull off some of the car sequences himself. "They put me through a week of stunt driving school and it was the best week of my life," says Evans. "It was so much fun. They had me do everything - the 180s, the 360s, skidding into a parallel parking spot, everything."

"I like putting an actor in the middle of the action, so it was important that Chris do as many of his stunts as was safely possible," says director David R. Ellis. "As a result of Chris going through an intensive driving course and getting very good at it, we were able to do shots where he comes up and skids the car right to a stop mark. And it's really him. You don't have to cut away to another angle and then back to Chris, which is cool."

The joys of stunt school aside, Evans feels his character will be very relatable to audiences. "Ryan is pretty much your average Joe and I think that's what makes him appealing," says Evans. "I think most people relate to him because he is a very typical early 20's guy with not much direction and a relatively apathetic attitude. He is just out for himself to have a good time."

But the producers believe there is nothing typical about Evans or his performance in the film.

"He has the potential to be the next Tom Cruise," says Lauren Lloyd. "It's hard to find a movie star, but you look for somebody who guys want to be and women want to date. He has that. He also has a curiosity about people and life, and I think that makes him a great observer. That's where he gets his depth of character."

One unique challenge Kim Basinger and Chris Evans faced was having to perform the majority of their roles while talking in to a phone. Both actors purposely avoided meeting face-to-face until the very end of the shoot in order to maintain a degree of anonymity with each other. "For the most part, Kim and Chris had to act without the other one there," says director David R. Ellis. "Chris shot his sequences first and had to stick with the dialogue as scripted, and it was especially tough at times since he's in the middle of action sequences and driving with one hand while on the phone. And then Kim filmed her role the last weeks of the shoot and she reacted to what he had already said."

Adds the director: "you have to create some of the chemistry between them in the editing of the film - it's how you cut each side of the conversation and how you time out each side to work together, so that you feel they are really connected. Because for the most part, they were never on the phone together."

The film features a familiar face for audiences in William H. Macy, who plays a veteran cop who may be Ryan's best hope, if only he can piece together his story. An Oscar-nominated actor best known for roles in such quirky dramas as Fargo and The Cooler, it is rare to see Macy in a film with as much action as Cellular.

"It's a potboiler and I haven't done many films like this," says Macy. "I felt upon reading it that it isn't one of those stupidly violent films. Because the bad guys get their comeuppance and the good guys win, it felt legitimate to me. At the same time, it's a real whodunit that starts off with a bang and never lets up on the tension."

Macy was also thrilled that the film gave him the opportunity to take on a new challenge - filming a fight scene.

"I was really proud of the fight scene because it was beautifully choreographed," says Macy. "What I like about this fight is that it's ugly and nasty and it doesn't look slick. It's not a lot of fisticuffs; it's guys really grappling. It felt very realistic - particularly when I was in my tub the night after trying to soak away the black and blue spots."

Macy may be relatively new to the action game, but the filmmakers had little doubt he could pull off the role.

"Bill Macy is a consummate actor and even though we haven't seen him play a character who can kick ass, we all had confidence he could do it," says producer Dean Devlin. "Because when someone has that level of skill and ability, they can really do anything. They just have to be given the chance."

Director David R. Ellis admits to initially being slightly intimidated by the idea of working with Macy. "I've loved everything he's done; he brings a different dimension to each character he portrays," says Ellis. "I was thrilled that he was even interested in doing the movie. But he came in and had these great ideas. He makes you feel really comfortable and is always ready to go to work."

Co-star Jason Statham is a familiar face to action fans. The British actor, who has appeared in such hits as The Italian Job and The Transporter, takes a villainous turn in Cellular, portraying the lead kidnapper Ethan.

"It's always fun to play a baddie because they're a bit unpredictable and you can play them that way," says Statham. "They're not quite as restricted as most other characters."

For their intense scenes together, Statham and Kim Basinger employed an interesting dynamic. "With some of the more physical scenes between Kim and Jason, we didn't rehearse them in advance as Kim didn't want to know what he was going to do to her, so I would talk to Jason about the tone of what I wanted," says Ellis. The director adds that for the sequence where Ethan tells Jessica he knows where her son is and is planning to abduct him, "when Jason came up and took his belt off and wrapped it around Kim's neck and started to choke her, she had no clue he was going to do that - the effect was very chilling, but they both knew how far they could take it."

In addition to the core cast of Cellular, the film also features such talented actors as Noah Emmerich (The Truman Show), Eric Christian Olsen (Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd) and Richard Burgi ("24").

While Cellular boasts an impressive ensemble cast, its pace is what truly sets it apart. The urgency of the film's set-up and pace of its story is reflected by a film that seems to be in perpetual motion, almost daring audiences to keep up.

"This movie is always on the move," says producer Dean Devlin. "But it's less about the action than it is the suspense. I think what's unique about the film is that while it's non-stop, while it has the energy of a movie like Speed, it's really the suspense that comes from the tension between these characters and the situation they're in. So the film functions as a thriller disguised as an action movie, and I think that's what makes it unique."

It may be a thriller disguised as an action movie, but that's not to say the film is without its share of action.

"It's an incredibly fast-paced movie that doesn't let you catch your breath," says Chris Evans, who is at the center of most of the film's action sequences. "I think the only slow moment we have is probably the first two pages where I'm just walking down the pier at the beach. But once that phone call happens, it just keeps moving. And I think it's going to be one of those films that when it's over, people are going to feel like they've only been watching it for half an hour."

With an accomplished cast, a high concept storyline, and a unique balance of action and suspense, Cellular has something for everyone - including a message.

"Cellular is a fun action movie, but it's also a movie about social and moral responsibility," says producer Dean Devlin. "I think at the core of this movie is the question - Why do we decide to help people? What is the reward? In this film, the reward is helping people - that in itself is the reward and reason enough to justify helping. I'd like to think what makes it different is that at the end of the day when you go home, it leaves you with something beyond just the action, just the thrill ride. There's a lot of thrills and a lot of laughs, but I'd like to think that it might make people think about helping other people and why that's important."

Message aside, producers ultimately believe audiences will come away from the film meeting the most important goal - having been thoroughly entertained.

"It's a very dramatic, thrilling and extremely relatable movie," says producer Lauren Lloyd. Adds director David R. Ellis, "this movie is a great thrill ride, but it's also got a lot of heart along with the action. But it moves…it moves really quickly!"

ABOUT THE CAST

Kim Basinger (Jessica Martin)

Since making her motion picture debut opposite Robert Redford in Barry Levinson's The Natural, Kim Basinger has appeared in more than twenty feature films.

Earlier this year, Basinger starred in Door In The Floor for Focus Features and will next be seen in Elvis Has Left The Building. In 2002, Basinger starred opposite Eminem in Universal's 8 Mile and in Miramax's People I Know, opposite Al Pacino and Tea Leoni.

In 1998, Basinger received an Academy Award for her role in Warner Brothers critically acclaimed film L.A. Confidential, based on the James Ellroy classic crime novel of the same title. The film, directed by Curtis Hanson earned nine Academy Award nominations and also earned Basinger a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA nomination.

In 2000, Basinger was seen in Paramount's Bless the Child, directed by Chuck Russell and also starring Jimmy Smits and Rufus Sewell. Basinger also starred in Hugh Hudson's I Dreamed of Africa for Columbia Tri-Star. The film was shot entirely on location in Venice, Italy and South Africa and is based on the best-selling true story by Kenya activist Kuki Gallmann.

Basinger's film credits include the Warner Brothers' box office blockbuster Batman; Adrian Lyne's sensual thriller 9 1/2 Weeks; No Mercy; Robert Altman's Ready to Wear (Pret a Porter) and Fool For Love; Final Analysis opposite Richard Gere; The Marrying Man and The Getaway; Blake Edwards' Blind Date opposite Bruce Willis; Cool World; The Real McCoy and Nadine opposite Jeff Bridges.

Basinger currently resides in Los Angeles.

Chris Evans (Ryan)

In the short time that he has been in Hollywood, Chris Evans has managed to build a name for himself, playing an impressive range of both comedic and dramatic roles. Evans was in Columbia Tristar's film, Not Another Teen Movie. In this parody of all teen movies, he portrays 'Jake Wyler,' the high school's popular jock. Evans was last seen in the Paramount film, The Perfect Score. He played 'Kyle,' a student who persuades five others to help him steal an upcoming SAT test in order to up his score and get into the college of his choice. The film was produced by Tollin/Robbins and also stars Erika Christensen and Scarlett Johansen.

Additionally, Evans has wrapped production on the independent film, The Orphan King, opposite Alexis Bledel, as well as the feature Fierce People, in which he stars opposite Diane Lane and Donald Sutherland for Lion's Gate.

Early in his life, Evans studied dance and theatre under the direction of his teacher/mother. He soon found his way onto the stage appearing as leads in regional productions including "Sunday Visitors" at the Boston Playwrights Theatre and the EMACT Festival as well as a Speak Previews production of "Suckers" in Boston.

Evans is currently filming the starring role of Johnny Storm/the Human Torch in the big budget 20th Century Fox feature Fantastic Four, based on the Marvel comic book and directed by Tim Story.

Evans grew up near Boston, Massachusetts. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Jason Statham (Ethan)

Actor Jason Statham joins the new generation of young action heroes in the Twentieth Century Fox feature The Transporter, written specially for him by Luc Besson. Directed by Hong Cong born Cory Yuen, one of the world's foremost action directors. The Transporter is about Frank Martin a man who lives a quiet life on the French Mediterranean, who is a "transporter," someone who moves goods (human or otherwise) no questions asked. He follows three rules: 1. Never change the deal 2. No names 3. Never look in the package. When he breaks the third rule, he is faced with a new companion, shocking secrets and deadly complications.

Statham was born in Sydenham, England and came into the acting profession in a most unconventional manner. His parents' first love was entertaining, they moved around England finding a better way to make a living. They ran "mock auctions," a major street con. By the time he was nine, he was surrounded by an unsavory group of characters, gangsters and con artists, and found he was very good at the "con" game. Selling counterfeit goods and products that didn't make the grade proved to be the initial training grounds for Statham's street theater.

As a teenager he became interested in sports and became a high diving competitor, traveling abroad and making the cut for the Great Britain diving team. He placed third in the Olympic trials on three different occasions, eventually placing 12th in the world. While training at the famed Crystal Palace National Sport Center in London, film crews and photographers pursued him as new talent for commercials and print campaigns. One of those jobs was a French Connection print ad where he met the owner of the company. The owner showed an interest and it turned out he was the executive producer of an upcoming film who introduced him to director, Guy Ritchie. The film was Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. Ritchie found in Statham, not just an actor, but more importantly someone who could play a role that he lived, a street-con. He was encouraged by Ritchie to improvise, as the director wanted honesty.

Shortly after Statham's film debut, Ritchie cast him again in the gangster film Snatch as a boxing promoter starring opposite Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro. After the shoot, executive producer Matthew Vaughn brought Statham to Los Angeles and introduced him to an American agent and he was well on his way. He also co-starred in the sci-fi action thriller The One opposite Jet Li for Sony/Revolution as well as the Paramount Classic's film The Mean Machine. The role was not a stretch for Statham, who was a natural born athlete and who studied boxing and martial arts.

Most recently he was seen co-starring with Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton in The Italian Job for Paramount Pictures and directed by F. Gary Gray. The film is about a gang of robbers who create the largest traffic jam in Los Angeles history, giving them time to pull off a theft of gold bullion. Statham recently completed filming the feature Chaos opposite Ryan Philliippe and Wesley Snipes. He is currently shooting the sequel Transporter 2, and then will star in Guy Ritchie's upcoming film Revolver.

Eric Christian Olsen (Chad)

Multifaceted actor Eric Christian Olsen is taking Hollywood by storm.

Olsen just wrapped shooting on the dark and edgy independent feature Mojave, with Rider Strong, Bumper Robinson and Dash Mihok. Last summer, he played the lead (the young Jim Carrey role) in the New Line Cinema feature Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. His other feature credits include Not Another Teen Movie, The Hot Chick and the independent feature film Local Boys.

Olsen is currently working with Eliza Dushku on a multi-episode arc for the

FOX series "Tru Calling." He is best known for his starring role as Cameron

Green on the critically acclaimed FOX series "Get Real." Some of Olsen's other television credits include guest appearances on "24" and "ER."

In addition to acting, Olsen has been balancing a life of sports and schooling for several years. He was captain of his high school ice hockey team in Quad Cities, Iowa. His academic abilities landed him a scholarship at a private university in Southern California where he recently completed his studies.

Olsen currently resides in Los Angeles.

Noah Emmerich (Jack Tanner)

Noah Emmerich is known for roles in such films as Peter Weir's The Truman Show opposite Jim Carrey and Laura Linney, Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls with Uma Thurman, Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman, Cop Land with Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, and Harvey Keitel, John Woo's Windtalkers opposite Nicolas Cage, Frequency with Dennis Quaid, Beyond Borders opposite Angelina Jolie, Crazy In Alabama directed by Antonio Banderas and opposite Melanie Griffith, Monument Ave with Denis Leary, Martin Sheen and Billy Crudup, and Tumbleweeds with Janet McTeer. He was most recently seen in Gavin O'Connor's Miracle, with Kurt Russell and Patricia Clarkson, and he recently completed filming Sometimes In April with Debra Winger.

Emmerich studied filmmaking at New York University where he wrote and directed the short film The Painter which won the Cine Award in Washington, D.C. and the International Film Festival of Badalona, Spain. His second directing effort, The Date, won the Short Comedy Award at Houston's Worldfest Film Festival. His production company, Sandbox Entertainment, has a production deal with New Line Cinema, where he has several scripts in development.

Emmerich is an honors graduate of Yale University with a degree in history.

William H. Macy (Sergeant Bob Mooney)

OscarR nominee and Emmy and SAG Award winner William H. Macy is one of the most distinguished talents of his generation.

Last year, Macy received outstanding critical acclaim for his role as Bill Porter in TNT's "Door to Door," opposite Kyra Sedgwick, Helen Mirren, Kathy Baker and Felicity Huffman. The movie, which Macy also co-wrote, tells the true story of Porter, an award-winning door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy. The movie aired to unprecedented ratings for a TNT original movie premiere and received a SAG Award, Peabody Award, an AFI Award, a Critic's Choice Award, a Golden Satellite Award, a Writer's Guild nomination, an American Cinema Editors nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. The movie was nominated for 12 Emmys and won 6 including Outstanding Made for Television Movie as well as winning Macy the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie statue and Outstanding Writing for a Television Movie with Steven Schachter.

Macy will soon be seen in TNT's "The Wool Cap." Macy rejoined writing partner Schachter for this new take on the 1962 comedy Gigot, which originally starred Jackie Gleason and was directed by Gene Kelly. Schachter will direct once again. The film follows the heartwarming story of the janitor Gigot who befriends the little daughter of a prostitute. Don Rickles, Catherine O'Hara, and KeKe Palmer also star. This Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation will premiere on TNT on November 21st, 2004.

Schachter and Macy are also teaming up on a project for Showtime. Tentatively titled "The Accountant and the Stripper" the movie is based on the true story of a Florida accountant appointed by a judge to run a string of local strip clubs. Macy will play the certified public accountant Lew Berman, Macy and Schachter will write the script and Schachter will direct.

This Spring, Macy was seen in the Showtime Original Picture "Stealing Sinatra," which depicts the 1963 botched kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr. Directed by Ron Underwood, Macy stars as John Irwin, one of three kidnappers who abducted Frank Sinatra, Jr. from his hotel at gunpoint just before a show in Lake Tahoe. Macy received an Emmy nomination in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie" for his performance.

Macy recently returned from Spain and Morocco filming Sahara for Paramount Pictures. Based on the Clive Cussler bestseller, this modern marine-based action adventure is the story of explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), searching for Confederate gold in Africa, where he meets WHO doctor Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) and learns about a mystery disease that is killing Africans in vast numbers. Macy plays Admiral Sandecker, Pitt's boss at NUMA (the National Underwater Marine Agency).

Macy recently received critical acclaim for his role in the romantic drama The Cooler, opposite Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello, Shawn Hatosy and Ron Livingston. He was also seen stealing scenes in the critically-acclaimed Universal Pictures feature, Seabiscuit, the American epic of triumph and perseverance set during the Great Depression, based on the best-selling book that was one of the most popular and widely read non-fiction books of recent years. Macy, who co-stars with Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges, was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as Tick Tock McLaughlin and the movie was nominated for Best Picture.

Macy is best known for his portrayal of Jerry Lundergaard in Fargo, for which he received an Oscar Nomination and won an Independent Spirit Award as Best Supporting Actor. He also garnered nominations for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (American Comedy Awards), Best Actor (Chicago Film Critics), Best Supporting Actor (Dallas/ Fort Worth Film Critics), and Best Actor in a Drama (International Press Academy).

Macy's distinguished film credits include Spartan, In Enemy Hands, Magnolia, Pleasantville, Happy Texas, State and Main, Jurassic Park 3, Focus, Welcome to Collinwood, Psycho, A Civil Action, Boogie Nights, Wag The Dog, Air Force One, Ghosts of Mississippi, Mr. Holland's Opus, The Client, Shadows and Fog, Murder in the First, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Radio Days and Panic.

In the realm of Television, Macy has been no less prolific. He received an Emmy Nomination as Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his recurring role as 'Dr. David Morgenstern' on "ER." Macy also had a recurring role on Aaron Sorkin's "Sports Night" and was nominated for an Emmy for his performance. His movie of the week credits include "Reversible Errors," "A Murderous Affair," "Heart of Justice," "Standoff at Marion," and the miniseries' "Andersonville," "The Murder of Mary Phagan" and "The Awakening Land." In addition to the politically charged BBC telefilm "The Writing on the Wall," Macy also appeared in two Mamet vehicles, "The Water Engine" and Showtime's "Texan." In 1999, he starred opposite his wife Felicity Huffman, on the TNT television film "A Slight Case of Murder" and received another Emmy nomination. Macy and his writing partner Steven Schachter wrote the film and Schachter directed. Also with Schachter, Macy has written several television scripts, including an episode of "Thirtysomething," the HBO movie "Above Suspicion" and the USA Networks movie "The Con," starring Macy and Rebecca DeMornay. Most recently, Macy was seen on the small screen in a regular guest role in the Showtime original series "Out of Order," also starring Eric Stoltz, Felicity Huffman, Kim Dickens and Justine Bateman.

Born in Miami, Macy lived in Georgia until age ten before moving to Cumberland, Maryland, where his love for acting spawned as Mordred in "Camelot." Elected junior and senior high school class president, he set out to become a veterinarian at Bethany College in West Virginia, but after performing in "play after play," Macy transferred to Goddard College in Vermont, where he came under the tutelage of theater Professor David Mamet.

In 1972, Mamet, Macy and his writing partner Steven Schachter moved to Chicago, where they collectively created the St. Nicholas Theater. Macy originated roles for several of Mamet's classic original productions, among them, Bobby in "American Buffalo," and Lang in "The Water Engine," soon establishing his feature film presence with writer/director Mamet. His performance in Oleanna as a college professor accused of sexual harassment earned Macy kudos as "a master of verbal machine-gunning" from Entertainment Weekly. His detective in Homicide inspired similar praise from New York magazine: "Macy may be the ideal Mamet actor: working-man handsome, street smart, and nimble of tongue." He continued with Mamet as a Mafioso driver in Things Change, a Marine in House of Games and an FBI agent in Wag the Dog.

Moving to New York in 1980, he continued to build his reputation in the theater as an originator of new roles, in such off-Broadway productions as "Baby with the Bathwater," "The Dining Room" (later filmed for PBS - "Great Performances"), "Life During Wartime," "Mr. Gogol and Mr. Preen," "Bodies, Rest and Motion" and Mamet's "Prarie du Chen," "Oh Hell," and "Oleanna." His stage credits, approaching fifty during his ten years in New York, also include the Broadway production of "Our Town," Tony Award winner for Best Ensemble. Macy was also seen on the London stage in the spring of 2000, where he co-starred in the revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo" at the Donmar Warehouse. Following the run in London, the play moved to the Atlantic Theater Company in New York for a record breaking run.

Along with his acting career, Macy has also earned respect as a teacher and director. Having led theater classes in Chicago and at New York University, today he serves as director in the residence at the Atlantic Theater company in New York. His extensive directing resume includes "Boy's Life" at Lincoln Center, the LA production of "Oleanna" at the Tiffany Theater, as well as "Lip Service," an HBO film which won an ACE Award for best Theatrical Production. Most recently, Macy directed the play "The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite" at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York.

In 1998, Macy was honored by Showest when he was named Best Supporting Actor of the Year for his body of work.

Macy is married to Golden Globe nominated actress Felicity Huffman, who starred on the critically acclaimed series "Sports Night." They live in Los Angeles with their two daughters.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

David R. Ellis (Director)

David R. Ellis directed the 2003 hit thriller, Final Destination 2. He made his directorial debut on Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. Bringing over thirty years of experience as a stuntman, stunt coordinator and second unit director, Ellis is one of the most sought-after action second unit directors in Hollywood, garnering an impressive list of box office hits as second unit director on features such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Perfect Storm, Master and Commander, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions.

Dean Devlin (Producer)

Dean Devlin founded Electric Entertainment in May 2001 to produce franchise-driven motion pictures and develop interactive, music and television projects. Over the last eight years, Dean Devlin has co-written and produced some of the most successful feature films of all time. Devlin co-wrote and produced Stargate and Independence Day. He co-wrote and produced Godzilla and produced The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. Devlin's first production under the "Electric" banner, Eight Legged Freaks, was released by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow in July 2002. He is currently working on "The Librarian" which will air on the TNT network in December 2004.

Lauren Lloyd (Producer)

Lauren Lloyd has been a casting director, independent producer, and most recently a manager and producer with a first look deal at Sony. Her production company, Bedlam Media, manages writers, actors and directors in addition to producing.

As an executive at Columbia Pictures, Lloyd was responsible for such blockbusters as The Patriot and Vertical Limit. At Hollywood Pictures, where she was an executive vice president, Lloyd was responsible for over twenty movies including Evita, While You Were Sleeping, Nixon, GI Jane, Grosse Pointe Blank and Horse Whisperer.

Additionally, Lloyd produced Mermaids with Cher and Winona Ryder, Drop Zone with Wesley Snipes, The Butcher's Wife with Demi Moore, Dreamlover with James Spader, Fires Within with Jimmy Smits and Freddie Got Fingered with Tom Green.

Lloyd starts production on Diary starring Jennifer Aniston in January with Sony. She is in pre-production on 2 movies with Gold Circle: the comedy Viagra Falls and a supernatural thriller, Smoke.

Chris Morgan (Screenplay By)

Chris Morgan was born in Los Angeles in 1970 and has lived there ever since. Cellular is Morgan's first credited screenplay. His next film Sakura is currently shooting in Japan for Maverick Entertainment. Additionally, Chris has served as a script polisher on several high-profile projects, including 2003's summer blockbuster, S.W.A.T. He is currently writing The Fast and The Furious 3 for Neil Moritz, and desperately trying to convince the IRS that buying a six second nitrous-guzzling street machine is an acceptable tax write-off for "research"...

Morgan lives in Los Angeles with his wife Michelle and his two daughters, Maya and Chloe.

Larry Cohen (Story By)

Larry Cohen is well known in the motion picture industry in two complimentary though diverse categories. He is one of the most accomplished auteurs of the contemporary independent film genre, having written, directed and produced twenty movies, and has also had an enormously successful career as a mainstream screenwriter of major motion pictures and television.

Cohen's most recent project was the hit thriller Phone Booth for Twentieth Century Fox. His original screenplay, which takes place in one location (a telephone booth) in real time, was directed by Joel Schumacher and starred Colin Farrell.

A film aficionado since his elementary school days, Cohen rocketed to fame as a television writer while still in his late teens. While attending City College of New York, he wrote a classic episode entitled "False Face" for the horror anthology, "Way Out," hosted by Roald Dahl. His talent was later discovered by award- winning writer Reginald Rose and he became a regular contributor to the prestigious award-winning TV series, "The Defenders," writing 13 episodes for which he was honored twice by the Television Academy. In the years to follow, Cohen went on to write, direct and produce a wide range of independent films including several number one box office thrillers including Warner Bros. It's Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent and God Told Me To, as well as the trend-setting black genre films Black Ceasar and Hell Up In Harlem, which he recreated for movie legend Samuel Z. Arkoff at American International Pictures.

A native of New York, Cohen grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan and his writing talent was evident by the age of eight, when he wrote and drew his own comic books, which later served as storyboards for movies he would make as a filmmaker. With his mother and grandparents, he frequented the movies and the theater and gained firsthand experience at the blocking and staging of live television shows by sneaking into rehearsals of classic NBC dramas such as "Philco Television Playhouse" and "Robert Montgomery Presents."

While Cohen studied film at CCNY (among his teachers was the film historian and critic Arthur Knight), he moonlighted as an NBC page and began submitting scripts to the prestigious anthologies "Kraft Playhouse" and "The United States Steel Hour," while working summers in the Catskills as a "social director/ stand-up comic," performing his original comedy routines.

Following graduation from CCNY and while serving as a private in the Army, Cohen became a regular contributor to such major New York-based dramas as "The Defenders" and "The Nurses," which he wrote on his weekends. He and Army sidekick David Carradine also wrote, produced and performed shows at Army bases throughout the South.

Moving to California in the 1960's, Cohen began working on such episodic television shows as "The Fugitive" and "Arrest and Trial." He then went on to create two popular TV series including the western "Branded," starring Chuck Conners, and the cult sci-fi show "The Invaders," starring Roy Thinnes, which was produced by Quinn Martin. Both still appear internationally in re-runs on a regular basis. Following that he created "Coronet Blule" for CBS and "Cool Million" for NBC.

As he became a sought-after screenwriter, he was soon tapped by the Mirish brothers to pen the sequel to the highly successful Magnificent Seven sequel, Return of the Seven, which starred Yul Brynner, Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, directed by Mark Robson, and El Condor, directed by John Guillermin and produced by Andre De Toth.

In the early 1970's, although he was enjoying enormous success as a screenwriter, Cohen began to get restless and wanted to direct his own material. He made his directorial debut with Bone, which has been hailed as one of the great black comedies of that era starring Yaphet Kotto. Following that he directed and produced a string of films he had also written, including the controversial political drama The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover, with an all star cast including Oscar winners Broderick Crawford, Dan Dailey and Jose Ferrer, God Told Me To, It Lives Again, The American Success Company (starring Jeff Bridges), Full Moon High (starring Alan and Adam Arkin), I The Jury (based on the Mickey Spillane novel starring Armand Assante), Special Effects, Perfect Strangers, the satiric The Stuff, It's Alive, A Return To Salem's Lot (based on the Stephen King novel, which starred cult director Samuel Fuller and introduced a young Tara Reid), Wicked Stepmother (starring Bette Davis) and The Ambulance (starring Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones and Oscar winner Red Buttons). His most recent directorial effort was Original Gangstas with Pam Grier. In the 70's and 80's, in addition to his film work, he also wrote the Broadway play "Trick," starring Tammy Grimes, produced by Joshua Logan. Other stage plays include the British production of "Motive," with Honor Blackman (later Carrol Baker took over the role) and the off-Broadway play, "Nature of the Crime," with Tony LoBianco. Most recently he wrote and directed the stage play "Fallen Eagle," for The Sandford Meisner Theatre Company in Los Angeles.

After almost twenty years of writing/directing and producing and becoming a well known "cult figure" in the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Cohen returned to his first love of screenwriting for both major television and films. During this period he penned some of the most acclaimed and provocative TV episodes of "Columbo" and more recently "The New Defenders" for Showtime, Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" for NBC, the TV miniseries "The Invaders" and the Warner Brothers remake of Body Snatchers. One of his most recent TV episodes of "NYPD Blue" introduced the character of the gay secretary Ervin, who has become a recurring character. For the big screen, his credits include the acclaimed mystery/thriller Best Seller, starring Brian Dennehy and James Woods and Guilty As Sin, starring Rebecca De Mornay and directed by Sidney Lumet.

Over the years Cohen has amassed numerous awards and honors and retrospectives of his films throughout the world. He received the coveted Avoriaz Film Festival Jury Prize twice from juries headed by Roman Polanski and Steven Spielberg and last year was honored with a showing of ten films at the Stockholm Film Festival and with a similar tribute held at the Brisbane Film Festival in Australia. Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival billed its tribute to Cohen, "Gods and Demons - A Tribute to the Maverick Independent Filmmaker," honoring his films with a month-long retrospective, which followed a previous month-long tribute at the Chicago Art Institute entitled "It's A Bird, It's a Plane, It's Larry Cohen!" As recently as August 2004, he was honored at The Chicago Underground Film Festival.

His engaging of composer Bernard Herrmann to score his 1974 film Its Alive, resulted in fostering a close father-son relationship with the iconic composer, which lasted till the end of Herrmann's life.

Over the years, Cohen has directed a wide range of stars from award winners Bette Davis, Broderick Crawford, Jose Ferrer and Celeste Holm, to such cult figures as Eric Bogosian, Candy Clark, Colleen Camp, Michael Moriarty, Karen Black, Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones. He has had his films scored by some of the movies greatest composers including John Williams, Maurice Jarre, Miklos Rozsa and Bernard Herrmann and had professional associations with some of the industry's top directors and producers ranging from the Mirish Brothers to Samuel Z. Arkoff, Sidney Lumet, Quinn Martin, Dick Levinson and Bill Link.

Cohen has had one of the most fascinating and enduring careers in the entertainment business, achieving the unusual status of being successful both as a mainstream screenwriter while retaining the status of being one of the classic independent auteurs of the last twenty five years. His many admirers include Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone.

Cohen is now entering the third phase of his career and has come full circle as an in-demand screenwriter. He is currently writing the original thriller "Bad Deeds" for Joel Silver Productions at Warner Bros. and preparing the 2005 remake of his hit "It's Alive." He lives in Beverly Hills in a home originally built by the Hearst family in 1929 and has five children. He is married to psychotherapist Cynthia Costas Cohen.

Gary Capo (Director of Photography)

Gary Capo met director David R. Ellis during the first season of "Baywatch." Since then Capo has paired up with Ellis as the second unit cinematographer on numerous films, including The Kid, The Perfect Storm, Deep Blue Sea, Soldier, The Negotiator, Sphere, Desperate Measures, The Devil's Own and Waterworld. Since then, Capo directed and photographed second unit on K-19: The Widow Maker, The Thin Red Line, Message in a Bottle, Fly Away Home and White Fang, and was the second unit director of photography for Mission Impossible and Face/Off.

Among Capo's many television credits, he was the main unit director on "Baywatch Hawaii: The Boiling Point," and second unit director of photography on "Nash Bridges" and "Thunder in Paradise."

Jaymes Hinkle (Production Designer)

Jaymes Hinkle was born and raised in a family of writers, sculptors and artists on the Texas Gulf Coast. He grew up playing Tennis and Surfing. He developed an interest in Graphic Arts at an early age, learning to Silk Screen T-Shirts and Pinstripe Cars.

While attending High School, an innovative English teacher helped plant the seed of film making with an assignment to create a short film. That film, an Animation, won several awards, which gained the attention of the Rice University in Houston. They offered him the opportunity to make Animations and Short Films in their Media Center, many of which went on to win at regional and national film festivals for high school students.

The idea of working in film became a reality at the age of fifteen. During a summer vacation to Arizona he got the chance to work for an Uncle, a Director, who was directing a film for Universal Studios.

Upon receiving his Driver's License, he left Texas for Southern California to continue his education at Art Center College of Design. He landed an apprenticeship at Paramount Studios in their Scenic Department. He attended Art Center for two years then left to pursue a full time career in Motion Pictures.

He worked at Paramount for five years on many films that are now considered classics. He continued to freelance on such feature films as, Blade Runner, Heavens Gate, Thief, 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon and Diehard as a Graphic Artist and Scenic.

The opportunity of working on Independent films opened doors allowing him to become an assistant Art Director and eventually Art Director, art directing the HBO series, "Tales From The Crypt."

A Joel Silver project, "Parker Kane", a TV pilot for NBC was to become his first shot at Production Design. Ricochet, a film produced by Silver and directed by Russell Mulcahey would be his first Feature.

While between film projects he sharpened his skills on Commercials for American Express, Budweiser, Coke, Pepsi, Lexus, Lincoln, GMC and many others. He also did numerous Music Videos over the years for various groups, like Dave Matthews, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Megadeth, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and Seal, to name a few.

He's continued to work in feature films, having done Passenger 57 starring Wesley Snipes, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon, Varsity Blues, A Texas Funeral, Ready to Rumble, Hardball starring Keanu Reeves, and The Perfect Score. In addition to his feature film work, he did the pilot for "Birds of Prey" and most recently the pilot for the hit series, "The O.C."

A portfolio of his work can be viewed at www.jaymes.org

He still Surfs and plays Tennis good enough to be ranked in his age division.

Christopher Lawrence (Costume Designer)

Christopher Lawrence recently served as costume designer on the features, The Alibi, which stars Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijn and John Leguizamo, 11:14, which stars Hilary Swank, Henry Thomas and Barbara Hershey and the Colin Farrell/Samuel L. Jackson action film, S.W.A.T. Before becoming a costume designer in his own right, Lawrence worked as a costume supervisor with some of Hollywood's finest directors including Blake Edwards (Switch), Mel Brooks (Life Stinks), Garry Marshall (Beaches), Barry Levinson (Bugsy), Cameron Crowe (Say Anything), Phillip Noyce (The Saint), James L. Brooks (I'll Do Anything), Curtis Hanson (The River Wild), James Cameron (T2/3D), Stephen Frears (Hero) and Tony Scott (Enemy of the State). In 1999 Lawrence was the associate costume designer on Michael Mann's The Insider. He then designed The Anniversary Party for Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bubble Boy for Blair Hayes and the action comedy Showtime, which starred Robert DeNiro, Eddie Murphy and Rene Russo.

Eric Sears, A.C.E. (Film Editor)

After graduating from the USC School of Cinema in 1975, Eric Sears began his career as an Assistant Editor for Director Martin Scorsese on the films New York, New York and The Last Waltz. Over the past twenty-seven years he has worked in both the feature film and television/cable industries, earning such credits as Dad, Encino Man, Hot Shots and, most recently, Final Destination 2. His work in cable television includes HBO's "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom," "The Rat Pack," "Cheaters," and "Gia."

Currently Eric is on the Board of Directors of the American Cinema Editors, and is an Active Member in both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 1998, he was honored by both the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences and The American Cinema Editors, receiving an Emmy and an Eddie award for his outstanding work on "Gia."

John Ottman (Composer)

Since gaining critical and public notice for his work on Bryan Singer's film The Usual Suspects, John Ottman has established himself as an unprecedented talent in Hollywood filmmaking. He's not only one of the most distinctive and intelligent film composers currently working, but also an accomplished film editor. He has served in both capacities on Bryan Singer's Public Access, The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil and X-Men 2 (where he single-handedly replaced a battery of editors from the first X-Men and wrote the score to boot.)

Ottman earned a British Academy Award for his work on Suspects and an Emmy nomination for his mysterious yet playful music for Barry Sonnenfeld's television update of "Fantasy Island."

A graduate of USC film school, Ottman began making amateur movies at young age, always revolving his work around film music, which he often edited his sequences to. He comes to film scoring with a unique perspective - that of a filmmaker. So much so that John made film history by single-handedly directing, editing, and scoring (with the Munich Symphony) Urban Legends 2.

John continues to have one of the most varied careers in Hollywood, but film scoring is his passion. After finishing up his riveting score for Gothika, John was contacted by Cellular producer Dean Devlin, who John had worked on Eight Legged Freaks. Here John explored blending his rye sense of humor into a suspenseful and lively score that became a cornerstone of the film.

John's smart and thrilling score for Cellular adds to his growing list of over 30 films for directors as varied as John Badham, Roland Joffe, Ben Stiller and Luis Mandoki. And he just turned 40. John's just getting started.

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