Halmi conceded that his story doesn't have the broad historical canvas of Gone With the Wind.

Stephen Collins co-stars as Ashley Wilkes, who was too nice a guy for Scarlett Jean Smart has a significant role as Sally Brewton, who is trusted by both Scarlett and Rhett Paul Winfield is Big Sam, the former Tara slave who becomes a successful businessman Esther Rolle plays Mammy Julie Harris is Rhett's mother Ann-Margret is in and out as a brothel owner and Melissa Leo is Scarlett's sister Suellen. Ireland's Colm Meaney has one of the most prominent supporting parts as Colum O'Hara, a politically active priest who becomes Scarlett's friend, adviser and confidante during her sojourn in Ireland.įive actresses from Great Britain, Greece, The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, who didn't make the final cut to play Scarlett, have small parts, which are likely to be publicized far beyond their importance in their native lands.Īmerican audiences have not been overlooked. Another Brit, Sean Bean, plays the Lord of Fenton, the antihero of Scarlett. Whalley-Kilmer and Dalton are British, as is Sir John Gielgud, who has a superfluous role as Scarlett's uncle.

The importance of overseas markets is evident in the casting. Scarlett is also scheduled to premiere Sunday throughout Europe and parts of Asia, including Japan and Hong Kong. Halmi hopes to turn this into a profitable venture through a simultaneous worldwide release. Projections are anywhere from $40 million to double that, depending on whether the goal is to hype the show or calm jittery investors. Pick a number for the costs of shooting at 53 locations in the United States, Ireland and England with the elaborately costumed cast of thousands. Obtaining Ripley's rights cost $9 million alone. He wanted more, partially to pay off the mammoth cost of dramatizing the novel. The narrative shortfall is exacerbated by Halmi's decision to expand on Ripley's ideas.Īt most, Scarlett would have generated five to six hours of screenplay, according to Halmi. But as all hopeless romantics would have it, he rushes to her side in her moment of greatest need.

An unlikely set of circumstances projects Rhett briefly back into and out of her life. Rebuffed, she exiles herself to Ireland, where she becomes a local heroine and a supporter of anti-British terrorism. It picks up Scarlett after the Civil War, still hot for a reconciliation with Rhett. Alexandra Ripley's sequel surely doesn't do the characters justice. In retrospect, she might have known what she was doing. Margaret Mitchell has been judged harshly in some circles for not following up her cherished novel.

My dear dear sun