Sideways Director to Helm "Ripple" Adaptation
Paul Giamatti, Uma Thurman to Star
Los Angeles (AP) -- Miramax has acquired Dave Cooper's graphic novel Ripple: A Predilection for Tina, for Sideways helmer Alexander Payne to direct, Daily Variety reported Friday.

David Cronenberg will co-produce the pic, a romantic comedy about a cartoonist who becomes obsessed with an obese woman.

Paul Giamatti and Uma Thurman have signed to star.

Variety reports that the Kill Bill star will play Tina, an "unconventionally beautiful" woman with a massive overbite, opposite Giamatti's impotent loser character. The actress has agreed to gain 35 lbs for the role and will wear several prosthetic devices.

The project will begin shooting mid-September in Texas. The film is being setup through a program at the University of Texas in which students will have the opportunity to work as crew members on set, while staying in school at the same time.

Based on Canadian Dave Cooper's semi-autobiographical comic book, "Ripple" chronicles the slow disentegration of a lonely children's book illustrator when forced to confront the object of his sexual fantasies as a flesh-and-blood woman.

The book was published by Fantagraphics in 2003 to rave reviews. The American Library Association called it "repulsive."

For his part, Payne is enthusiastic about his latest project:
"I am eager to integrate this new slant on love with a company known for its humanistic approach to quality filmmaking," the director said.

"When you watch a movie, you don't want to feel like a machine made it," he has said. "You want to feel a soul."

But his films are far from gritty thanks to the wry, gentle humour with which Payne and longtime writing partner Jim Taylor imbue their desperate characters.

Ripple will be "more challenging" than his previous movies, Payne, 43, says.
Payne's previous film, Sideways, was a surprise commercial and critical success, earning several Oscars.

Payne studied Spanish and history at Stanford University before choosing a film course at UCLA over journalism studies. His university thesis film was screened at the prestigious Sundance film festival and led to Citizen Ruth, which was backed by movie moguls Miramax. He says Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein forced him to change the title and ending, agree to a cast member and approve a poster design he did not want - but thanks him for the chance to get the movie made at all.

Payne says his aim is to make "movies for the ages", with realistic characters and intelligent stories, inspired by 1970s US classics and Italian greats.

"There is an audience out there for literate films - slower, more observant, more human films, and they deserve to be made," he has said.