1996's Saint and Charteris News

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December 31, 1996: Saint Book Reprints

Leslie Charteris' Saint books are being reprinted in French by Claude le Francq, and the following four titles are already in bookstores: Le Saint et le dernier heros, Le Saint et l'heroique aventure, Le Saint et les anges des tenebres, and Le Saint et l'archiduc. The books are very nicely done, with a small photograph of the original cover design printed on the back cover. Another four titles will be reprinted in January 1997, with more to follow later in the year.

A German publisher has purchased the rights to reprint the German language editions, and they will be coming out sometime in 1997. As of yet there is no word on any large-scale English reprint deals, but watch this space...

December 30, 1996: Volvo at the Los Angeles Auto Show

Volvo will be appearing at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, January 4th to 12th, 1997, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. They will be introducing their new C70 coupe at the show. Volvo will be having a press conference during Media Days on Friday, January 3, 1997 at noon. Media Days are not open to the general public, but Volvo has invited me down to the introduction.

December 26, 1996: Saint Survey

SimonTemplar@hotmail.com asks for your help in completing this quick Saint survey. All answers are purely voluntary of course, and you can skip questions that you don't have an opinion on! So without further adieu, what is your:

1. Favorite Saint book
2. Favorite TV episode with Roger Moore
3. Favorite TV episode with Ian Ogilvy
4. Favorite TV episode with Simon Dutton
5. Favorite Saint movie
6. Favorite episode from any incarnation of the radio show

Please e-mail your answers to SimonTemplar@hotmail.com.

December 19, 1996: Superbowl Saint

The first Saint television commercial will be shown on Sunday, January 26, 1997 during Superbowl XXXI on Fox. Paramount will kick off their blitz for the new Saint movie by paying the standard $2.6 million per minute charge that the Superbowl demands--a good start to what is reportedly going to be a very high budget advertising campaign.

December 18, 1996: Sensible Saint Turns To Volvo For Wheels
By Andrew Hindes
Source: Reuters/Variety, December 18, 1996

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Batman had his Batmobile, James Bond had his Aston Martin -- and more recently, his BMW Z3 -- and The Saint's suave Simon Templar has his -- Volvo?

Yes, the Swedish automaker, whose sturdy, sensible cars have come to epitomize safety-conscious yuppie-dom, is embarking on a $5 million-plus tie-in campaign with Paramount Pictures to launch its sporty new C70 coupe -- and hopefully earn itself a slightly racier image at the same time.

Paramount and Volvo's cross-promotional efforts will include national and local TV spots and print ads, as well as promotions at auto shows, in-dealer displays and a Web site.

The globe-trotting thief Templar (Val Kilmer) drives the C70 in several scenes in the film. It's actually the second pairing of The Saint's hero and Volvo; in the 1960s TV version Roger Moore drove a Volvo P1800 coupe.

The movie, which also stars Elisabeth Shue, is scheduled to open around March 14, although the C70 won't be available until sometime in June.

The car, which Volvo unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in October, is a two-door, four-seater which will sell for $40,000 to $45,000 according to Robert Austin, director of marketing communications at Volvo Cars of North America.

"It's a segment of the market Volvo has not participated in," he said. "One which is being pursued not for its volume potential but for its image enhancement."

Volvo wants to add an air of stylishness and performance to its current image of safety, durability and longevity, he added.

December 17, 1996: Paramount's Saint site is up

Paramount's new Saint movie starring Val Kilmer is scheduled to be released in North America on March 14th, 1997. Paramount has put up a special web site to go along with the movie at http://www.thesaint.com/. Only a really cool "teaser" is available there right now, but much more is on the way!

For complete domain information check out the InterNIC's whois results for thesaint.com.

December 17, 1996: Saint film and book rewrite!

Burl Barer just got an urgent call from Pocketbooks. It seems that test audiences in recent Paramount screenings hated the ending of the Saint movie so much that it has to be changed. Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue are back in Southern England doing re-shoots, and Burl is frantically rewriting his novelization to meet the new plot line. There's nothing like a last minute crises to change your Christmas and New Year's plans!

December 17, 1996: The Saint on Swedish TV

The Roger Moore TV series, "The Saint", is now being shown on Sweden's Channel Four (TV 4). It will be broadcast on Sundays at 23.00 to 23.55 for the next 44 weeks.

December 16, 1996: Ian Ogilvy has written a book

Ian Ogilvy, who played The Saint in The Return Of The Saint television series, has written a book. The title is Loose Chippings, and it is published by Headline Book Publishing, a division of Hodder Headline PLC. ISBN: 0-7472-5233-5.

The plot involves the Vicar of Chipping Carbury, a picture-postcard village thirty-five miles outside London, who is happy preaching to congregations of ten or less. Since he's lost his faith he's rather lost his enthusiasm. The villagers too are happy with the way things are-gossip and innuendo keep them busy, and they really don't have time for spiritual matters.

But all this may be about to change. The Marquess of Steepleforth-under siege from the Inland Revenue-has just found a buyer for Graveley Place, an ancestral home of such monumental ugliness it's a miracle anyone would actually pay for it. But miracles come easily to Jim Pohackett, a charismatic TV evangelist with a biblical amusement park--the Lord's Playground--in Florida, and Graveley Place has all the makings of another Lord's Playground, UK Inc. While Jim's more down-to-earth wife, Rosallaline, has her back turned, the deal is done.

Of course, there are complications, not least the inhabitants of Chipping Carbury. And how will the Reverend Henry cope with the competition? There's no going back though, and soon Jim's kissing British soil...

December 13, 1996: The Saint on Polish TV

The new RTL7 TV channel (via Hotbird satellite and cable) from Luxembourg is now featuring some of the original Saint episodes starring Roger Moore. RTL7 is broadcast in Polish, and on December 13th they showed the episode, "Queen's Ransom". RTL7 is a new station owned by Luxembourg's CLT and Universal which started officially on December 7th, 1996. It is likely that The Saint will be broadcast on Saturdays for the forseeable future.

December 5, 1996: Burl Barer has finished The Saint

Burl Barer has completed the novelization of THE SAINT screenplay for Simon & Schuster Pocket Books. In addition to the original English language version, there will be Japanese, Chinese, and German language translations. "The character of Simon Templar is not exactly the one Saint fans know and love," says Barer, "but I have done my best to add Saintly touches and a few inside jokes that Saint fans will appreciate."

December 5, 1996: Saint Club Christmas Letter

Ian Dickerson, the Honorary Secretary of The Saint Club has sent me his contribution to this year's Saint Club Christmas letter to post on this web site.

December 4, 1996: Fan List

I have reworked and added some more people to my ever-growing list of Saint fans. If you are a devoted fan of Leslie Charteris and the Saint, please e-mail me with the details of your collection, interests, Saint-related anecdotes, and any contact information you'd like listed.

December 2, 1996: First Columbia House Video Available

The first tape in the Columbia House collection, The Saint: The Collector's Edition, is now available for ordering via their web site. The tape contains two 1-hour episodes, one in black and white, and the other in color. The two episodes on the first tape are The Talented Husband and The Death Game.

November 28, 1996: The Saint on Norwegian TV

Monday, November 25th, the Norwegian satelite TV station 'TV Norge' started showing the Ian Ogilvy RETURN OF THE SAINT series. The weekly TV program listing shows that it will be shown at 23:15 every Monday. As with most TV shows in Norway, the shows will be broadcast with the original sound along with Norwegian subtitles.

November 18, 1996: Burl Barer Interview

The Tri-City Herald has an interview with Burl Barer in their November 17th, 1996 edition. It gives some good history about Burl's connection with The Saint, and gives some first-hand updates to his current Saintly projects.

November 11, 1996: Turner Shelves RKO Films

Turner Home Entertainment recently merged with Time Warner Inc., leaving the release of the RKO Saint movies on video tape in limbo. The four double-features were orginally slated to come out around the same time as the new Paramount movie, but the merger has pushed back that schedule. As they will not be able to release them in synch with the popularity of the new movie, it is unknown whether they will ever release them. But, if the movie does well, it is possible that they will get this project rolling again. There is an unconfirmed rumor that they tapes will come out as scheduled; it is all the promotional material and projects that have been put on hold.

November 5, 1996: Saint Screening

Kurt Ramm (kdramsc@mca.com) reports that he has seen a version of the Saint film at a test screening at Paramount. Apparently, the film is drastically different from the original script that he saw in April 1995. The story isn't as melodramatic and silly, and features a much tighter plot. A new element was also introduced: humor--there are some good laughs. Also, Templar's many disguises were added to the script, and there are a lot of them. Some of them are pretty funny.

Unfortunately, most of the action and all of the effects have been removed--the original script called for a special effects budget of at least 75 million dollars! One of the more exotic stunts that was cut had Templar being rescued from the Russian maffia by a Lear jet landing in Red Square...

Kurt was pleasantly surprised with Val Kilmer, saying that it appears Val has finally found the right vehicle for his talents. He claims that Kilmer is good, really good. Unfortunately the film loses any steam it built up in the first hour and kind of falls flat in the end. The plot builds up a lot of tension and excitement at the beginning, but when the second half kicks in you are left hanging. Kurt was pretty down on the ending, explaining that on several occasions he thought that the film was over but that it kept on going for no apparent reason. Keep in mind, Kurt saw a rough-cut version at the preview. The film won't be out for at least another four months, so it is conceivable that some editing is still being done.

October 25, 1996: Saint Posters Available

DBA Cinematic Invitations (WBEYOND@aol.com) has the advanced "teaser" one-sheet for the new Saint movie for sale at $10 each (plus $3.00 shipping and handling). The poster is all black with a large halo'ed gold lightning bolt. The text says, " Cunning. Devious. Dangerous. Treacherous." The mailing address is

DBA Cinematic Invitations
P.O. BOX 1842
Manchester, CT
06045-1842
USA

October 22, 1996: The Saint on Dutch TV

TV10 Gold (a classic TV station in The Netherlands) is showing repeats of the Roger Moore color series with Dutch sub-titles. The show runs from 23:35 to 00:20, and they will be running all 43 of the color episodes.

October 15, 1996: VOLVO AND PARAMOUNT PRESENT NEW "THE SAINT" FILM
Source: Volvo Press Release, 10/15/96.

Volvo launches the new C70 high performance sports Coupe, and announces a new worldwide alliance with Paramount Pictures.

Two world famous names, Volvo and Paramount Pictures today launch a new exciting campaign to promote the forthcoming action adventure film "The Saint", starring Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue, and Volvo's brand-new sports Coupe, the Volvo C70, which appears in the motion picture.

Volvo and Paramount will reveal both the sleek new C70 and details of the ground breaking campaign on October 15th, at the Birmingham International Motorshow. The show, held at the NEC, opens to the public on October 19th. Visitors to the show will also be treated to an exclusive sneak preview of The Saint, set to break box office records in 1997. The Volvo stand will also feature the actual Volvo C70 flown in for the show, plus the original Saint Volvo P1800, as driven by Roger Moore in the '60s.

"The Saint" is a Paramount Pictures presentation in association with Rysher Entertainment. It is scheduled to open in cinemas across the USA next March, to coincide with Volvo's introduction of the new car in North America. The film is set to open in the UK in Summer 1997.

"The Saint" stars Val Kilmer as Simon Templar, a world-class thief who finds himself embroiled in a deadly web of intrigue and deceit when he is hired to steal the life work of a beautiful scientist played by Elisabeth Shue. A David Brown and Robert Evans production, "The Saint" is directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is by Jonathan Hensleigh and Wesley Strick, and the story is by Hensleigh. The executive producers are Paul Hitchcock and Robert Baker.

Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom inc. Volvo, based in Sweden, is known around the world for manufacturing saloons and estates and has a renowned reputation for safety.

October 15, 1996: THE SAINT IS BACK--WITH A VOLVO!
Source: Volvo Press Release, 10/15/96.

The Saint is back.
In a new movie.
In a new hazardous adventure.
In a new Volvo.

You remember Roger Moore as Simon Templar, on our black and white TV-screens in the sixties. Templar drove a white Volvo P1800 and became "The Saint" to the world. There is a lot that is unknown regarding The Saint. Try and answer the following questions:

1. What was the name of the author who created the Saint?
2. When was the first book published?
3. Which car was driven by "The Saint" in the books?
4. When was the first Saint movie made?
5. How many TV episodes were made with Roger Moore as "The Saint"?

It is great if you can answer one right question on the above. Two correct answers is phenomenal. Three or more - are you The Saint?

As you probably are aware, Roger Moore has now retired from his halo and his white car is parked, but between 1962 and 1969 Moore made 118 episodes for TV and two Saint movies. Val Kilmer takes the lead role as Simon Templar in Paramount's latest Saint film, the most expensive film that Paramount has made to date. Val Kilmer has previously starred in Batman Forever (with Nicole Kidman) and Heat (with Al Pacino and Robert de Niro).

Kilmer stars alongside Oscar nominee Elisabeth Shue in "The Saint". Shue was nominated for an Oscar for her appearance in "Leaving Las Vegas" alongside Nicholas Cage.

But the list of well known actors is not the only thing that underlines the magnitude of this movie. "The Saint" is directed by Phillip Noyce, known for his thrilling, action movies such as "Clear and Present Danger" and "Patriot Games," (both starring Harrison Ford) and "Sliver" (starring Sharon Stone).

If you liked these films, then you will definitely like Simon Templar's new adventure.

The scenes including the Volvo C70 were all shot in Oxford. According to the script the action of the film should take place in the Autumn but as filming took place during the summer, blazing hot sunshine hit the set. So, assisted by an assortment of machinery and heavy clothes for the actors, the beautiful summer was turned into a dull wintry day.

The fact that Paramount has chosen to let "The Saint" drive a Volvo in this movie is an interesting story in itself. It has nothing to do with Leslie Charteris, the man who created The Saint books, the literary hero drove a non-existent car, a beautiful, long car named Hirondel.

In the world of movies the choice of car is very important for the character. If it is properly carried out, the car can increase their credibility, if not it can cause confusion. Ask people in the US what they associate with Volvo? Some will say quality, others will say reliability but most will say safety. In other words if the director/producer of a film wants to confirm that a certain caracter is reliable, trustworthy, he or she should drive a Volvo. It was not a coincidence that Sally Field who played the mother in "Mrs Doubtfire," drove a red Volvo 850.

However, over the last 2-3 years the Volvo brand has got an additional dimension by introducing the 850 T-5 and the 850R. Volvo has added driving pleasure and sportiness to the brand.

The Saint is certainly a thief and adventurer but with a good set of values. He steals, but mostly from criminals and then hands them over to the police. It is accurate to claim that he is a modern day Robin Hood. In this context the Volvo works perfectly. Another circumstance that made this co-operation between Volvo and Paramount possible was the fact that Volvo was developing a new exclusive sports Coupe.

The author of the Saint was Leslie Charteris, his real name was Charles Bowyer-Yin. He belonged to the house of Yin which ruled China between 1750 and 1100BC. In 1952 the 18-year-old Charteris went to the University of Cambridge to study law, but he had no plans to become a lawyer; instead he wanted to be a thief so as to have a rich, comfortable lifestyle. To make his living during the period in Cambridge he started to write. In 1928 "The Saint meets the Tiger" was published. The book became a bestseller and it created a hero. Almost 50 saint books followed.

RKO Radio Pictures created the movie "The Saint in New York" which was release in 1938. Three Saint movies were produced one year leter with George Sanders in the lead role.

Since 1938, 15 saint movies have been made with Paramount's latest film being the 16th. Less known is that it was tried to create a new television series with Simon Templar. One effort was made in 1978, with The Saint being played by Ian Ogilvy, and 24 episodes were shown. More recently, in 1987, a pilot episode, starring Andrew Clarke was made, but that was not succeeded by a new series.

Finally, in 1989 six TV-movies were produced, Simon Dutton played Simon Templar.

If you want to get hold of more Saintly fact, then make a visit on The Saint's home page on the Internet. The address is: www.saint.org.

October 12, 1996: Saint Items Wanted!

I have updated my want list to include a list of The Saint television episodes that I am missing. I do not know of a good source for finding these, so please e-mail me if you have one that you know is good.

October 7, 1996: Burl Reports In

Burl Barer updates three on-going rumors:

1. "Jill" is the new Saint movie is now called "Emma." They changed her name because Emma sounds smarter than Jill.
2. The RKO Saint in New York is *not* in production for USA Network as previously reported -- Burl, his agent, and Phil Krupp of Zev-Braun Productions are working with RKO in approaching other networks (ABC and FOX for example) to ascertain interest in these 8 made for TV Saint movies -- contemporary remakes of the old RKO classics.
3. Burl (love that guy!) is about mid-way through the novelization of THE SAINT -- in order to make the novel long enough, Burl is adding additional scenes, conversations, and background information -- including a running plot-relevant reference to George Sanders! We'll see what stays and what goes during the editing process. The Saint uses false names and many disguises. At one point he calls himself Daniel Bodenheimer, at another he calls himself Ian Dickerson!

September 30, 1996: The Saint's new Volvo

My Volvo page now features the Saint's latest Volvo, the C70 coupe. I have some interesting information from Volvo, along with a picture of a beautiful red one.

In the September 1996 issue of the BBC publication, Top Gear, there are two photos of Val Kilmer and the red Volvo C70 coupe.

Volvo of Sweden has a quick press release and photo announcing the debut of the new Volvo sports car. Volvo's site also features an image bank of many JPEG images of the new car. They also put out the seven press releases on September 30, 1996 that are listed below:

• High-tech and traditional craftsmanship in harmony.
• Sporting safety.
• When individuality is important.
• Dynamics in a new dimension.
• The designer's dream.
• Emotion in motion.
• Ushering in a new volvo era.

September 25, 1996: Saint Film Details

Corona Productions has a web site with as many details and rumors as they have been able to track down. The latest rumors include a complete run-down on the cold fusion plot, that Graeme Revell will be doing the background music, the film will be released around April 1997, the Saint will be driving a red Volvo C70 coupe, Val Kilmer plays 11 different characters/identities, and that Kilmer has been signed to do at least two more Saint films.

September 17, 1996: RKO/Turner Videos

The Saint Lives--or at least he will again on March 18, 1997 when Turner Home Entertainment releases four double-features of The Saint's adventures on home video in the States. The four tapes will include the following eight RKO Saint movies:

• The Saint Strikes Back
• The Saint in New York
• The Saint in London
• The Saint's Double Trouble
• The Saint Takes Over
• The Saint in Palm Springs
• The Saint Meets the Tiger
• The Saint's Vacation

You might be surprised to learn that all but two of these titles--The Saint Strikes Back and The Saint's Vacation--will be released for the first time on home video.

Turner's web site also features a nice page on The Saint films that are being shown on the Turner Classic Movies channel.

September 12, 1996: Saint Club Mail Delays

So you've written to The Saint Club at the Arbour Youth Centre in Stepney, England, but you've not heard back from them. Join the club!

It seems there is a breakdown in the way that the mail for The Saint Club is being handled. The crux of the problem is that our fine General Secretary, Ian Dickerson, is now living in Paris, France. Obviously the Club can not be run from France, so Ian arranged for a local member to deal with the mail, fill the orders, and keep track of everything Saintly.

Well, apparently this special agent has disappeared. Nobody is saying what happened, but Ian is working with the Arbour Youth Centre Management to get a backup in place as quickly as possible. Please be patient during this time of transition, and don't worry... The Saint Club will be back!

September 3, 1996: The Saint on Columbia House Video

According to my sources, ten tapes of the Roger Moore Saint series will soon be released in NTSC format in the United States by Columbia House Home Video. Eight of the tapes will have one black and white and one color episode, and the other two will feature two-part episodes.

Here is the line up:

• The Talented Husband/The Death Game
• The King Of The Beggars/The Reluctant Revolution
• The Happy Suicide/Escape Route
• The Scorpion/Simon and Delilah
• The Fiction Makers
• Sibao/Where The Money Is
• The Crooked Ring/The Counterfeit Countess
• The Set Up/Locate and Destroy
• The Frightened Innkeeper/Double In Diamonds
• Vendetta For The Saint

August 21, 1996: Saint Books for Sale

I have added some more books to my books for sale area, including a listing of all the Saint books that are still available new from Amazon.com. One bonus, if you click on one of the listings on my page, and then order the book from Amazon.com, I get a small referral fee for my time and effort.

August 21, 1996: Saint Videos in PAL Format

There's a company called Video Plus direct in the UK that has a comprehensive supply of Saint videos. They are the ITC re-releases of selected episodes starring Roger Moore, and include much of the black and white episodes from 1962 onwards. At last count, there were 14 episodes available, but this may well have increased by now. Please note that they are all released in the PAL format.

Contact Information:

Video Plus direct
PO Box 190
Peterborough
PE2 6UW
United Kingdom
Telephone: 01733 232800

August 13, 1996: RKO is Saintly

Burl Barer reports that he just got a copy of the new RKO screenplay of The Saint in New York. He says it is very Saintly, but it has nothing in common with the book! He goes on to claim that with some careful revisions by a certain Saintly author (himself?), that it could be an excellent prequel or sequel to the book version of The Saint in New York.

August 6, 1996: Ian Gets Webbed

Ian Dickerson of The Saint Club has gone and had himself webbed. Check out his personal web at http://members.aol.com/idickerson for lots of other news and rumors about Saint works in progress. He also has managed to post a picture of the Saint logo from the forthcoming Paramount motion picture!

July 21, 1996: Burl Hauls in his Catch

Burl Barer just got back from a fishing trip and he didn't catch a thing... except this:

Pocketbooks has contracted with Edgar Award winning author Burl Barer to write The Saint, a novel based on the Wesley Strick screenplay of the new Val Kilmer starring mega-adventure. While the Simon Templar of the new film is not faithful to the Charteris original, you can count on Barer to infuse the novelization with as much true Saintliness as possible. You will find this mass market paperback in every airport bookstall and paperback book outlet world wide about the same time as the movie hits the big screen.

Meanwhile, Burl's own Capture The Saint is under serious consideration by Doubleday, Harper-Collins (London), and Warner Books.

RKO is remaking their classic Saint films of the 1940's -- the first, The Saint in New York, is being written by Larry Cohen. The films are being produced by RKO for the USA Network. The search for a leading man is underway! The character of The Saint will not be reinvented, but will be the Simon Templar from the Charteris originals.

July 1, 1996: Val Kilmer Unveiled

Army Archerd reported in the July 1st issue of Variety that Val Kilmer would be shooting "The Saint" at Pinewood Studios in England into August--a bit longer than the previous forecast of July. Producer David Brown explained that although they finished shooting in Moscow ahead of schedule, that "this is a hugely logistical monster of a movie.".

Apparently none of Kilmer's recent movies have been exactly easy to make, but Director John Frankenheimer was reported as saying "Val Kilmer is wonderful in the movie. He is a very talented actor." Frankenheimer also went on to say stories about Kilmer's (mis)behavior are absolutely not true (Val Kilmer denied them as well).

Army also mentioned that Val was playing as many as 11 characters in "The Saint," and that he had already signed options to make two more Saint films after this one.

June 26, 1996: Volvo Page Update

The Saint's Volvo 1800 page has been updated. Additional text has been written, and two old Volvo advertisements for the P1800 have been added.

June 16, 1996: Saint Shooting in Oxford

A Saint fan in Great Britain saw some shooting of new 'Saint' film in some Oxford University buildings. Director Phillip Noyce was present, as was director of photography Phil Meheux, etc.

Scene - Paramedics carry out female character on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. There is a general hubub amongst other extras and police cars speed to the scene. It was supposed to be raining as there was some water about and the characters were dressed for the weather, but the sun was very much out.

June 15, 1996: Quotes from the new Saint Movie

Screen International just did a feature article on the upcoming Paramount Saint movie, and here is one of the better bits:

Director Phillip Noyce has looked for inspiration to Leslie Charteris' original stories rather than the 1960s TV series (revived in the 1980s), making the character of Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) much darker than in his small-screen incarnations, where he was portrayed by Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy. "I want to portray how a sinner becomes a saint and how someone is redeemed," Noyce explains.

The article also said that Phil Meheux will be the director of photography, a job he also did for the latest James Bond film, GoldenEye. One of the executive producers, Paul Hitchcock, just recently finished executive producing Mission Impossible.

June 11, 1996: More Capture The Saint

With Burl Barer's permission I have expanded the exclusive excerpt of his forthcoming Saint novel, Capture The Saint, here on www.saint.org to include a sample of one of the more action-packed sequences in the book. Burl is also working on another Saint book, entitled The Saint Strikes Back. You can visit Burl's personal web site at http://www.burlbarer.com/.

June 8, 1996: Saint Books for Sale

There have been a number of requests from people looking to buy Saint books. Most of Leslie Charteris' books are long out of print, and therefore very hard to find. I have a number of duplicates for sale which are listed on www.saint.org in order to fill this need.

May 21, 1996: ARCHERD: 'Saint' Dilemma
By Army Archerd, Variety Senior Columnist
Source: Reuters/Variety, May 21, 1996

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Special Guest Producer"? "Ghost Producer"? Or mebbe no credit at all. That's Mace Neufeld's dilemma. But the issue apparently doesn't bother him at all as he puts in 16 hours a day on Paramount's "The Saint," now filming in Britain after locations in Moscow.

David Brown confirms that Mace may take "no credit at all." Brown, who had been commuting to the Moscow locations and now to Britain -- while also on the sets of his "Kiss the Girls" -- says he'll have "first position" in the "producer credits" according to Daily Variety's production chart, which then lists Robert Evans, William MacDonald and Mace Neufeld as producers.

Brown reminds he has worked 3 1/2 years on "The Saint" but credits Evans with fighting for years to get rights to the project "through the convoluted ownerships, regimes at Par, etc. If there's one thing that makes a producer, it's getting the project," credited Brown.

With producers like Neufeld and Brown and director Philip Noyce on the scene, they tell me the $60 million picture is on schedule -- two days under in Russia, using troops, tanks, over-zealous Russian stunt men -- ducking gypsies on the subways, etc., Neufeld said.

He was/is accompanied on the long shoot by Tita Cahn in Moscow and London. And Val Kilmer has regular visits from Cindy Crawford on locations as well.

Plans for the original "Saint," Roger Moore, to do a walk-on didn't work out. Meanwhile, Moore's son Christian is video assistant on the shoot. As for the future of the Neufeld-Rehme association at Par, Rehme reminds, "We will be together forever," now with two TV pictures in production, upcoming featues including "Already Dead" and "A Philosophical Investigation."

Monday, David Brown got word Karen Hall's "Dark Debts" (Random House) is a main selection of the Book of the Month Club. Brown will produce for Par. He's the solo producer -- "currently," he adds.

Copyright © 1996, Variety Inc. Reprinted with permission. Republication and redissemination is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

May 13, 1996: The Saint on Radio

A complete log of the Saint's radio adventures compiled by the ubiquitous Mr. Dickerson can be found at Lou Genco's old time radio site ( http://www.old-time.com/logs.html).

May 6, 1996: Roger Moore Involved in new Saint Movie

It was reported by Steve James of Reuter that Roger Moore will work in an advisory capacity on the new Saint film from Paramount. Roger was quoted as saying that Val Kilmer will be bringing Simon Templar "up to date a little". So now that we know that Roger will be on the set at least once in a while, doesn't it stand to reason that a cameo appearance would be pretty easy to work into the script?

May 3, 1996: Halo... It's The Saint and Greasy
Source: The Sun's (UK) Bizarre column by Andy Coulson

New Simon Templar Val has long hair and shades

Saints Alive! It's Val Kilmer as Simon Templar - the perfect English gent made famous by Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy in the telly series of the Sixties and Seventies.

But Hollywood heart-throb Val looks more like a rock star. The Batman Forever actor is being paid 4 million for the role that was being chased by Mel Gibson, Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Grant.

Val, 35, who gave up his part in the next Batman film to play The Saint, appears with long, lank hair, dark shades and there's not a halo in sight.

An insider says: "This is a Simon Templar for the Nineties. He is still a playboy but The Saint has been brought right up to date."

The 30 million production is being shot at Pinewood Studios, Bucks and on locations around London. My snapper caught Val on a night-time shoot in London's Holland Park.

Leaving Las Vegas beauty Elisabeth Shue, 32, will co-star in The Saint, which is due for release at the end of the year. Val's new love, Cindy Crawford, 30, has been flying in whenever she can.

The pair have been secretly house-hunting in London and plan to set up home there. They have viewed a five-bedroom pad which friends say they have set their hearts on.

Val is keen to leave Los Angeles to escape memories of his messy divorce with estranged wife Joanne Whalley, 34.

April 30, 1996: The Saint on Quebec TV

The Saint is on the air on CANAL D in Quebec, in French, each day of the week at 5:00pm (Weekends at 1:00pm).

April 14, 1996: Exclusive look at Capture The Saint

Burl Barer (adoraburl@yahoo.com) has graciously allowed the publication of an excerpt of his forthcoming Saint novel, Capture The Saint, here on www.saint.org.

March 26, 1996: Pinewood Press Release on THE SAINT

For Immediate Release:

Filming begins today in Moscow on the Paramount Pictures action adventure "THE SAINT".

Val Kilmer takes the title role of Simon Templar, "The Saint"--based on the legendary character created by thriller writer Leslie Charteris--a dare-devil thief and master of disguise whose audacious international exploits bring him riches and romance.

Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's "The Doors" and as billionaire Bruce Wayne and his nocturnal alter-ego, Batman in "Batman Forever"

Co-starring with Val Kilmer is Elisabeth Shue who this year received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress in "Leaving Las Vegas". Shue stars as Dr Emma Russell, a beguiling young electrochemist who falls in love with Simon Templar.

"THE SAINT" is a Paramount British Pictures production with a screenplay by Wesley Strick, directed by Phillip Noyce whose most recent credits include the highly popular "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger" with Harrison Ford.

David Brown, Robert Evans, William Macdonald and Mace neufeld are the producers with Paul Hitchcock as executive producer.

David Brown is one of Hollywood's leading filmmakers with "Jaws", "Cocoon", "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Player" being among his many credits.

Robert Evans' remarkable career has included many acclaimed projects including "Chinatown", and "The Godfather". He recently produced "Sliver" and "Jade".

Mace Neufeld made his motion picture debut with the high-grossing "The Omen". Among other films he also produced "The Hunt for Red October" and "No Way Out". He and director Phillip Noyce worked together on "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger".

On completion of the Moscow sequences which includes locations in Red Square and the Kremlin, the cast and crew will return to the UK for a further twelve weeks filming.

March 16, 1996: Capture The Saint is Finished

Capture The Saint, the first new full-length Saint novel since 1983's Salvage For The Saint has been completed by Burl Barer (adoraburl@yahoo.com), including revisions. It has been edited with flair by Ian Dickerson and approved by Audrey Charteris. It is now in the hands of famed literary agent Jane Gelfman in New York who will arrange publication world wide. Barer is already beginning preparation of the next Saint adventure.

March 13, 1996: "Saint" Always Looked Like A Kilmer Pic
by Anita M. Busch
Source: boxed story, page 36 of the March 13, 1996 Daily Variety

Was Val Kilmer ever really out of "The Saint"?

With George Clooney now set to take over for Kilmer as the Caped Crusader in Warner Bros.' "Batman and Robin," the way is clear for Kilmer to take the "Saint" title role, even though talks between the actor and the studio reportedly broke down in December, a month after he was in final negotiations on the film.

Yet there seems to be some question about whether Kilmer was ever NOT going to play "The Saint" for Paramount Pictures.

Many people close to the situation believe Kilmer's reps and some at the studio decided that the franchise, which had director Phillip Noyce in a holding deal, was too important (for Kilmer and the studio) to lose him.

Those sources suggest Kilmer always intended to do the film, but had problems because of his divorce from Joanne Whalley-Kilmer: His $6 million payday could have been included in their financial settlement, some people speculated.

Neither Kilmer nor his reps at Creative Artists Agency would comment, but some people close to the actor insisted he told his reps to cease negotiations with Paramount.

It's been noted that after word came out publicly that Kilmer was out of "The Saint," the studio didn't offer the film to another actor, even though Kilmer's CAA reps told Warner Bros. execs and others during that time that Kilmer wouldn't be doing the picture.

Asked about Kilmer's reported vacillation on the project, Noyce, currently on location in London for the film, told Daily Variety, "There were a number of factors involved (in him cutting off negotiations): fatigue, his divorce, and 'Batman.'" Noyce said Kilmer called him in December, saying he was too exhausted to take on the project.

"If I thought he was going to do it, I wouldn't have flown to Johannesburg (to the set of 'Ghost and the Darkness,' in which Kilmer was starring). I went down three times to lay out the production schedule and the workload for Val."

Now, however, the situation seems to be resolved, with Kilmer set to star in "The Saint," which is scheduled to start principal photography March 27, and the Batman franchise moving forward without him.

March 5, 1996: Neufeld Canonized for "Saint"
by Anita M. Busch
Source: cover story of the March 5, 1996 Daily Variety

Concerned by the complex production problems posed by a big-budget, possible franchise picture, Paramount Pictures has put Mace Neufeld on as producer of "The Saint."

Neufeld -- who had worked with director Phillip Noyce on Par's successful franchise films "Clear and Present Danger" and "Patriot Games" -- is in final negotiations with the studio to produce "Saint," which stars Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue.

He will produce along with David Brown. Neufeld's partner Robert Rehme will not be producing; instead, he is turning his attention to other projects at Neufeld/Rehme. Robert Evans, who brought the project to the studio and controls the rights, is set to co-produce, but his new deal has yet to be worked out now that Neufeld is producing.

"David and I decided that we wanted Mace aboard," Noyce said from London. "The work-load for all of us is becoming gigantic; we're shooting all over England and unpredictable Russia. We have production offices in London, Moscow, Los Angeles, and Oxford. I discussed it with David and went to Mace and talked to him about it. And now it's being worked out."

Brown said he welcomes Neufeld's presence. "He's a ringside producer on line at all times with a unique relationship with Phillip Noyce. I think it's great. I like to get back to Le Cirque on occasion."

February 16, 1996: Kilmer, Shue Fit in "Saint"
Source: cover story of the February 16, 1996 Daily Variety

Oscar nominee Elisabeth Shue is in final negotiations to join Paramount Pictures' THE SAINT, opposite Val Kilmer. Sources said that after working through a number of personal issues, Kilmer has officially waltzed back into the film, which he had passed on earlier.

The project, which is being directed by Phillip Noyce, will go before the cameras March 22nd.

Shue, who was just nominated as best actress for her portrayal of a Las Vegas prostitute in Mike Figgis' LEAVING LAS VEGAS, had been swaying between THE SAINT and 20th Century Fox's HIGGINS AND BEECH. Fox has been aggressively trying to assemble that project.

Negotiations had broken down between Paramount and Kilmer in December, when Kilmer and his wife, actress Joanne Whaley-Kilmer, were initiating divorce proceedings. Kilmer and Noyce met about a month ago in London to discuss the part again, and he recently recommitted. THE SAINT is being produced by David Brown and Robert Evans and executive produced by Robert Baker, from a draft script by Wesley Strick.

Shue's past credits include SOAPDISH, COCKTAIL, ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING, and THE KARATE KID. Kilmer, whose credits include HEAT and the upcoming ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, is filming Douglas-Reuther's THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS for Paramount.

Shue is repped by Creative Artsts Agency's John Lieberman and Kilmer by CAA's Rick Nicita.

February 14, 1996: Saint Movie Starts Production in March

"The Saint" starring Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue starts production March 20th. The four week Russian shoot will be followed by a more lengthy spell in England. The script is currently being re-written in order to cut down on the action sequences (thus saving money--anyone care to suggest they spent too much boodle on developing so many naff scripts?) and relocate the story from America to England.

February 2, 1996: Saint Movie Back on Track

Val Kilmer will definitely be starring as The Saint in the upcoming Paramount motion picture of the same name. Shooting starts in Russia sometime in March.

January 15, 1996: Charteris Biography Update

Ian Dickerson has finished a first draft of his upcoming Charteris biography. It's rather long and there is still a lot of work for Ian to do. Nevertheless, Ian claims that it is a great motivator. The entire biography is contained in a computer file of almost 600 pages!

Ian has also written a number of scenes for his Saint novel but will not let anyone see them until he has polished them up a bit more.

January 1996: Val Kilmer Waiting for Divorce before Signing on as Saint
Source: CNN

One of People Magazine's gossip columnists was on CNN's "Showbiz Today" the first week of January 1996, with yet another new angle on Val Kilmer's divorce. This could just be a wild story, but supposedly Val Kilmer pulled out of doing Paramount's forthcoming Saint movie because his (soon to be ex) wife could stand to gain half of his multi-million dollar payroll of the film in the settlement. The columnist thought that Kilmer might return to the Saint film after the "messy" divorce was final.

January 1, 1996: Burl Barer has finished Capture The Saint

Burl Barer has started the new year by finishing his forthcoming Saint book, Capture The Saint. The next step is editing, some rewriting, and then off to the publisher!

News and Rumors Archives

If you want more Saint news, there was lots of news in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, late 1997, early 1997, 1996, and 1995. As always, be sure to check The Saint's News and Rumors Blog on a regular basis.