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Posted: Tue., Nov. 8, 1994
'Shooter' takes aim at Prague by Army Arched, Variety, November 8, 1994 GOOD MORNING: Paris, no, Prague, yes. "The Shooter's" story was switched from France to the Czech Republic. And Prague is being filmed -- for Prague. Conversations with the producers, director Ted Kotcheff and Dolph Lundgren over there reveal Prague is hot -- despite the cold temperature. Four film companies are working, and among those lining up possible Prague locations, Kotcheff reports, is the "Mission Impossible" troupe starring Tom Cruise ... Craig Baumgarten, an exec producer on "The Shooter" along with Silvio Muraglia, Gary Adelson and Daniel Jakub Sladek, admits the $ 11 million package could not have happened without Will Tyrer of New Market Capital. "This is a new way for me," a happy Baumgarten said, accustomed to studio operation$ of the past -- and the future, with "Jade" and "Foreplay"... Two U.S. distributors are very strong for the pic -- but the producers are holding off until the finale, believing "The Shooter" will be a box office bull's eye. Producer Paul Pompian and director Kotcheff reported cooperation with locals has been terrif, with the company getting almost every possible request fulfilled -- from exotic buildings to the city's sewers. They were nixed a scene in the new subway -- but they're hopeful that, too, will be OK'd. Their Prague partner, Etamp, has supplied the international crew while department heads have been brought in from the U.S. and Europe. I spoke with Lundgren, Kotcheff and Pompian as they were shooting a night scene with Lundgren and Maruschka Detmers diving off a bridge into the chilled waters of the Ylataya River. But the film is a step away from strictly action pix for Lundgren. "It is a step forward for me," he admits. "There's more plot and character." He's talking "RPM," an ensemble piece, to follow.
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