Sharon Stone, Jeff Bridges, and Nick Nolte may all be taking pay cuts to join an indie project: They are negotiating to star in the $10 million "Simpatico." The film, adapted from a Sam Shepard play, studies the relationship between two men 20 years after their friendship falls apart over a horse-racing scam.

Considering how "Holy Man" bombed this weekend (with a paltry $5.1 million debut), perhaps Eddie Murphy is wise to return to a sure thing: He just signed to make a sequel to "Dr. Dolittle," albeit without Betty Thomas, the original's director. This won't be Murphy's first double-dip. He starts filming a "Nutty Professor" sequel in February.

Christian Bale is back in the running to headline "American Psycho." As fans of teen heartthrobs and serial-killer films may remember, Bale originally had the role in what was to be a tiny indie, until Lions Gate Films enlisted Leonardo DiCaprio for his usual $20 million salary. Then DiCaprio backed out in April, and his bail may be Bale's victory: Director Mary Harron reportedly still prefers him for the film, which has once again tightened its budget to $10-15 million.

Danny DeVito is close to a deal to direct and take a supporting role in a remake of "The Man Who Came to Dinner." In a disturbing sign of the times, the classic play (and double Academy Award-winning movie) has been updated so that the visiting celebrity who makes a family miserable when he moves in is now a Rush Limbaugh-esque talk-show host.