De Palma Deals His Way To Mars

Following four weeks of negotiations, Brian De Palma has finally put in writing a deal to direct Mission to Mars, set to star Apollo 13's Gary Sinise and Out Of Sight's Don Cheadle. Scheduled to start filming in June, the futuristic sci-fi flick has been set up at Disney's Hollywood Pictures. Previous speculation had Gore Verbinski attached to direct, but producer Tom Jacobson said De Palma was the perfect man for the job due in part to his overwhelming passion for the study of Mars. Mission To Mars will be the first science-fiction film De Palma will have lent his directing skills to, his previous offerings including Carrie, The Untouchables, Bonfire of the Vanities, Mission: Impossible and Snake Eyes.