Variety - April 8, 2002
DiCaprio pix to square off
By Dade Hayes
Coming soon: Leo vs. Leo -- the sequel? If Miramax makes good on its plan to release "Gangs of
New York" around Christmas, it will put the long-delayed pic in conflict with another Leonardo
DiCaprio starrer, DreamWorks' "Catch Me if You Can."
Both pics are as high profile as they come. "Gangs" is the big-budget Martin Scorsese epic whose
release has been stalled by concerns about its running time and Sept. 11. "Catch Me," which was
given a Christmas Day slot last week, is Steven Spielberg's helming follow-up to "Minority Report"
and stars Tom Hanks opposite DiCaprio.
'Perdition' duel
The potential Miramax-DreamWorks yuletide showdown is ironic because "Gangs" had previously been
set for July 12, the same date as DreamWorks' Hanks starrer "The Road to Perdition."
According to an oft-repeated account stemming from the summer scheduling, Miramax co-topper Harvey
Weinstein phoned DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg to try to persuade him to bump "Perdition."
The amicable if animated 20-minute call ended when Katzenberg emphasized, "I've got Tom Hanks and
I'm not moving." And indeed he hasn't.
The notion of DiCaprio confronting himself also has a precedent of sorts.
In 1998, when the 3-month-old "Titanic" outgrossed the debuting "Man in the Iron Mask," Daily
Variety took note. The headline might be worth dusting off: "Leo vs. Leo at B.O."
Thanks to Peanut !
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