Secret Sanction | TBA


Nicolas Cage has signed on to star in and produce what he hopes will become a franchise, playing a military prosecutor in ''Secret Sanction.'' Based on the first in a series of six novels by Brian Haig (son of Alexander Haig, the former U.S. Secretary of State), the film will be written by Cage's ''Windtalkers'' screenwriters, John Rice and Joe Batteer [Background info on 'Secret Sanction' - January 24th, 2002]

A novel written by the son of former U.S. Secretary Of State, Alexander Haig, has been optioned as a potential action franchise for Nicolas Cage, Variety reports. "Secret Sanction," by Brian Haig, is the first of a projected six installments centering on the life of a military prosecutor. Adapting the novel for Cage are screenwriters John Rice and Joe Batteer, who wrote the screenplay for Cage's delayed, John Woo-directed war epic "Windtalkers."

Rice and Batteer, pals since their days together at USC's film school, have seen their stock rise in recent months. Variety reported that the pair recently signed a seven-figure, two-picture deal with Pacifica Films to write "Lion Of The Sun," a historical epic set against the construction of the Sphinx in Egypt. The pair's script "Abyssinia," set against Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia, is currently being passed around among potential directors, as is their rewrite of "The Last Samurai," set in 19th century Japan. "We got together with the original intention of wanting to direct, but we love the big historical pieces, and the chance to ground them with real characters," Batteer told Variety. "That's what pushes our buttons". - Source: Jam Movies.