CREDIT DISCARD He may play a high-profile mobster opposite Mel Gibson, but James Coburn -- who just received a Best Supporting Actor nod for his performance in Affliction -- is as good as invisible in Payback's credits. What gives? ''The part I originally signed on for just kept developing,'' says the rough-hewn veteran actor, 70. ''Mel asked me to do a cameo as a crime boss, without any credit to let it be a surprise to audiences. But the part just kept getting...bossier.'' Not that it matters. Paramount chairman ''Sherry Lansing told me she liked my role,'' he says. ''Who needs more credit than that?''
HOW SWEET IT IS It's the screenwriter's equivalent of finding a golden ticket. Out of Sight scripter Scott Frank is adapting a new version of Roald Dahl's classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Warner Bros. Revisiting the candy-colored fantasy might get a bit sticky, though, especially since two generations of kids have grown up memorizing lines from the 1971 musical version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. ''I try not to think about the original,'' says Frank, who admits he's no fan. ''It's a studio executive's version of a bad acid trip. The book is much smarter, darker, edgier, and has more to say about parenting and about being a kid.'' Rumor has it that Nicolas Cage is being sweet-talked to play the loopy confectioner. ''Nicolas would be a wonderful choice,'' says Brad Grey, likely to be one of Charlie's producers. ''He can combine mystery, warmth, and darkness all at the same time. That's very Wonka-like.'' Frank, however, has another choice. ''I went back and read the Oompa-Loompa songs,'' he says, ''and they're very hip-hop. Maybe we can get Will Smith to play Wonka.''
