Looks like Val Kilmer won’t become the poster boy for the Mormon Church. The temperamental actor, who recently played porn king John Holmes in “Wonderland,” was deep in negotiations to play Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a pro-Mormon movie.
“The Prophet: The story of Joseph Smith” is being made by Zion Films, a Salt-Lake City based company that makes films extolling the virtues of the Mormon religion, and according to sources, Kilmer was set to play Smith.
“There was a lot of controversy about (the choice of Kilmer) because he doesn’t exactly have a saintly image, either on screen or off,” says a source. “But some people thought it was good casting because Smith was charismatic and quite the ladies man.”
“There were some heavy-duty discussions going on about it all,” says a source close to Kilmer, but the actor’s spokesman tells The Scoop that Kilmer will not star in the movie and would not comment further.
A spokesman for the Mormon Church declined to comment on the controversy.
Cutting appearance
Meg Ryan didn’t make any fans at the London premiere of “In the Cut.”
The formerly perky star was booed by former fans who she kept waiting for more than two hours. “There was a crowd of several hundred and it was quite cold,” says a source. “When she finally showed, they called out ‘We want Meg.’ But she just hurried by. The crowd turned ugly.”
“She did nothing wrong,” Ryan’s spokeswoman said afterwards. “She has nothing to say.”
Notes from all over
Don’t be surprised if you see Barbie in some heated political debates with a skinny blond doll. The makers of the Ann Coulter talking action figure tell The Scoop that they can’t keep up with orders for the doll that believes you can’t be too thin or too conservative. “It’s brand new, we just put it up on the site,” John Warnock, president of TalkingPresidents.com told the Scoop. “And we’ve already sold out of the first container.” A container, he explains, has 3,500 dolls. It’s a license deal, he added, so Coulter makes money from the deal. And how are the Donald Rumsfeld talking action figures selling since his memo leaked? Said Warnock: “Rumsfeld dolls RULE.” . . . Liz Hurley raised eyebrows when she changed outfits 19 times at a recent charity event for Prince Charles’s Trust. Now she’s raising tempers because reps for most of the designers say they haven’t gotten their dresses back. . . . Catherine Zeta-Jones says she gets along better with men than women. “I know what it’s like to hang out with guys and drink beer out of the bottle.” German mag Gala quotes her as saying. “I’ve always felt more comfortable with guys.” The Scoop is shocked.
Jeannette Walls delivers the Scoop Monday through Thursday in MSNBC Entertainment.