Sam I Am

If the rallying cry at Disney is ''Remember the Alamo,'' then for ''The Alamo'' director John Lee Hancock, the watchword is to remember who helped get him the job: Dennis Quaid, whose performance earlier this year in Disney's hit ''The Rookie'' put Hancock on the map as a director. Now, Hancock is returning the favor by casting Quaid in the lead role as Texan hero Sam Houston, Variety reports.

Back when Ron Howard was going to direct a more expensive, R-rated version of ''The Alamo,'' he wanted Russell Crowe to star as Houston and Billy Bob Thornton to play Davy Crockett. Variety reports that Thornton is still expected to star in Hancock's cheaper, PG-13 version, with Howard still on board as a producer.

Quaid is on a career upswing, with the Oscar buzz he's received for ''The Rookie'' and ''Far From Heaven,'' currently in theaters. He's also starring in Disney's upcoming thriller ''Cold Creek Manor'' and is likely to star in the studio's saga of auto racing's Petty family. He's expected to shoot ''Alamo'' early next year, after making the apocalyptic epic ''The Day After Tomorrow'' with ''Independence Day'' and ''Godzilla'' director Roland Emmerich.

You Might Also Like

• Movie Review The Alamo (Apr 09, 2004) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
• All About The Alamo
• Movie News Was ''The Alamo'' worth all the trouble? (Apr 09, 2004) | Scott Brown
• In the News ''Alamo'''s Jason Patric is arrested in Texas (Apr 09, 2004) | Gary Susman
• Movie Commentary ''The Alamo'' is one of the 10 movies we can't wait to see in early 2004 (Apr 09, 2004)
• Movie Review Smart People (Apr 11, 2008) | Owen Gleiberman