Petroni 'Voices' calling Pearce, Bonham Carter

Mar. 22, 2000 - By Lawrie Zion

Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham Carter have signed on to star in the indie metaphysical love story "Till Human Voices Wake Us," which will mark the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Michael Petroni.

Production is slated to begin in May in Australia.

"Voices," which Petroni also wrote, is the story of a man (Pearce) who is haunted by the presence of a dead childhood sweetheart (Bonham Carter) when he returns to his rural hometown after a long absence.

Thomas Augsberger and Matthias Emcke's Los Angeles-based Key Entertainment and Sydney-based DND Prods. will produce the film. Film Victoria, the Australian Film Finance Corp., Globe Film Company and Key are financing the project.

Petroni's script has been in development for two years, and won the best new script award from the Writers Guild of America/Scenario Magazine before being optioned by Sandra Bullock's Fortis Films. The project underwent a series of false starts before Key came on board.

Beau Flynn, Yoram Pelman, Stefan Simchowitz and Petroni's manager Gold/Miller's Andrew Deane will executive produce "Voices." Globe holds Australian and New Zealand rights to the film while Key will handle the rest of the world through sales agency Tomorrow Films.

Petroni, an Australian native, wrote Warner Bros.' "Queen of the Damned," based on Anne Rice's novel of the same name that is slated to go into production later this spring with Wes Bentley starring. The scribe also co-wrote Egg Pictures' "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys," which Peter Care is prepping to direct in May, as well as Warner Bros.' Vatican-set thriller "Revelations" for Danny DeVito to direct with Mark Canton and Village Roadshow producing. Petroni is repped by UTA.

Pearce, who starred in "L. A. Confidential," is next up in the William Friedkin-directed "Rules of Engagement." He is repped by ICM's Chris Andrews.

Bonham Carter is due to shoot Artisan Entertainment's "Novocaine" next month and recently starred in "Fight Club" (HR 2/28). She is repped by UTA.