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In direct response to concerns that he was becoming dangerously underexposed, Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin is making a movie. Irwin plays a man born with crippling cerebral palsy who, through his own courage and determination, overcomes his handicap and blossoms into an accomplished painter, poet, and author. Actually, no; that was Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot.

Details about the plot are sketchy, but Irwin will really be playing himself, possibly portraying elements of his unusual upbringing and rise to fame. Or, depending on which reports you believe, they could be going in a completely different direction with some kind of CIA-flavored farce involving world security, spy satellites and, you know, crocodiles. Crikey, that sounds like a winner!

Also appearing in the movie is Irwin's real-life wife Terri (playing herself, natch). Rest assured, there are actual actors involved as well: Magda Szubanski played the farmer's wife in Babe and its sequel, and David Wenham will play Faramir in the next two Lord of the Rings sequels.

MGM is entrusting this important project to first-time director John Stainton. Holly Goldberg Sloan, the writer who brought you Angels in the Outfield and The Big Green, scripted. I guess this implies the movie will be aimed at kids and young teens. Bruce Willis, who obviously knows something the rest of us do not, is listed as an executive producer. A cameo from Mr. Willis is also rumored.

Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course will open June 28, 2002, a date also staked out by Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! The Movie, and Adam Sandler's comeback effort, Mr. Deeds. The real winner here could be Minority Report, which opens a week earlier.

All kidding aside, I'm skeptical of the demand for a movie like CH:CC. Steve Irwin has been found on TV chasing crocs and other nasties weekly since 1996. While he has done a tremendous job of branding himself here in North America the past five years, my sense is that the whole Croc Hunter phenomenon is kind of done. He's not even spoof-worthy any more.

Beyond that, there remains a significant difference in the entertainment industry between "television star" and "movie star"; people don't automatically head out to theaters and pay to see people they see for free on television. Lately, this also includes MTV, e.g. Glitter, Bones, on The Line, and The Wash. How High and Mandy Moore's A Walk to Remember are proving to be modest exceptions.

I hope the studio is keeping a tight leash on costs for this venture, because as I see it, the film has limited upside and little hope of legs. (Calvin Trager/BOP)

April 11, 2002
As if July 12th wasn't already feeling cramped with five wide releases, Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course was just pushed there from June 28th. Perhaps MGM is making a pro-active move, and we will hear in the coming weeks that one or more of the movies currently scheduled for that date are behind schedule and moving themselves. We really don't know. What we do know is that CH:CC was heavily promoted during ShoWest 2002 in Las Vegas, indicating that MGM's expectations for the film's potential have risen. Somewhere, Bruce Willis is laughing at me. (Calvin Trager/BOP)

Vital statistics for Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course Main Cast Steve Irwin, Terry Irwin, Magda Szubanski, Lachy Hulme, David Wenham Supporting Cast Steve Bastoni, Kate Beahan, Bindi Sue Irwin, Steven Vidler Director John Stainton Screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan Distributor MGM Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.mgm.com/crocodilehunter/ Rating PG Running Time 90 minutes Screen Count 2,525 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Walk To Remember, A	1/25/02	12.18	12.66	2411	5051.00	5051.0	41.23	42.86	3.39
Angels in the Outfield	7/15/94	8.92	13.18	1894	4710.00	6695.6	50.24	74.24	5.63
Babe	8/4/95	8.74	12.11	1591	5493.00	7324.0	63.66	88.24	7.28
Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles	4/20/01	7.71	8.22	2123	3633.00	3729.5	25.59	27.31	3.32
Babe:Pig in the City	11/25/98	6.27	8.06	2384	2630.00	3252.5	18.32	23.55	2.23
Babe, The	4/17/92	5.01	7.27	1566	3199.00	4470.9	17.06	24.78	3.41
Wash, The	11/16/01	2.88	3.07	749	3839.00	3940.9	10.10	10.77	3.22
Bones	10/26/01	2.82	3.00	847	3334.00	3422.5	7.31	7.80	2.33
Glitter	9/21/01	2.50	2.66	1202	2080.00	2135.2	4.24	4.52	1.70
On the Line	10/26/01	2.31	2.46	900	2563.00	2631.0	4.36	4.65	1.89