Johnny 'Paycheck'

It's hard to imagine anyone in Hollywood giving up a paycheck. But that's what ''Red Dragon'' director Brett Ratner did, dropping ''Paycheck,'' an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick sci-fi story, to direct the new ''Superman'' movie. According to the Hollywood Reporter, John Woo is in talks to pick up ''Paycheck'' and direct it for Paramount, the studio behind his hits ''Mission: Impossible 2'' and ''Face/Off.''

''Paycheck'' is about a man who's had two years of his life erased from his memory, and who tries to solve the mystery of what happened to him during the blackout. It's familiar territory for Dick, who covered similar themes in the stories that were adapted into such films as ''Minority Report,'' ''Total Recall,'' and ''Blade Runner,'' which was released shortly after the author's death in 1982. Woo, who might like to forget the two years of his life he spent making this summer's bomb ''Windtalkers,'' would start filming the movie in February.

You Might Also Like

• Movie Review Paycheck (Dec 25, 2003) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
• Movie Commentary Reel Lit: Is The Pen Mightier Than The Pic? | Missy Schwartz
• Movie Commentary ''Paycheck'' is one of the 10 holiday movies we can't wait to see (Dec 25, 2003)
• Holiday Movie Preview Holiday Movie Preview
• EW's New Issue Ben Affleck comes clean on his life as a tabloid star (Dec 25, 2003) | Daniel Fierman
• Movie News Get your first look at Ben Affleck in ''Paycheck'' (Dec 25, 2003) | Gregory Kirschling