John Travolta says he and Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy are rarin' to get back in the saddle to do a sequel to the big-screen comedy "Wild Hogs," opening today (3/2). "If it does as well as they think it will do, we probably will," says Travolta, who plays the leader of the four guys whose middle-aged crises prompt them to head out on a motorcycle road trip. "It was four wonderful talents, four wonderful energies and four wonderful people. I got a big kick out of being with them. I really did."
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| Wild Hogs Quartet of Stars Rarin' for Sequel, Says Travolta |
The Touchstone film has gotten mixed reviews, but it drew many out-loud laughs at the El Capitan Theatre premiere the other night from a celebrity crowd that included the likes of Kirstie Alley, Luke Wilson, Kevin Sorbo, Ty Pennington, Felicity Huffman and Raven Symone.
The film's co-star, co-star William H. Macy -- who's gearing up to get on a plane to Capetown, South Africa, to start shooting a romantic comedy with Meg Ryan called "The Deal" -- says, "Truthfully, to get paid for riding motorcycles and hanging out with those guys, I feel like I robbed a bank.'" The film's other star, Martin Lawrence, is also hoping for more adventures of the "Wild Hogs." He says, "I'm ready if they want to make it happen. It was lot of fun to work with those guys."
MEANWHILE: Travolta has "Hairspray" in the can, and since the big-screen version of "Dallas" doesn't start shooting 'til January 2008, he says, "I'm going to do a movie this summer with my family called 'Old Dads.'" The actor, who's married to actress Kelly Preston, with whom he has two children, Jett, 14, and Ella, 6, says, "I was inspired by Will Smith and his rapport with his son," meaning Will's "Pursuit of Happyness" costar Jaden.
AND: March is a big month for Lawrence. "I start a new movie with Malcolm Lee called 'The Better Man' about a brother who goes back to his roots and gets some down home lessons," says Lawrence, who'll be filming in Louisiana. Seasons two and three of Lawrence's "Martin" sitcom are being released on DVD this month, and the talent show he's exec producing, "Martin Lawrence Presents The First Amendment Standup Comedy Show" debuts this month on Starz!
WHERE HIS HEART IS: Former "ER" regular Noah Wyle reports his longtime labor of love, the L.A. based Blank Theatre Company, is finally making its presence known. "The company just keeps growing year after year, and our reputation seems to be getting more and more solid," says the former "ER" regular, who mounts the Young Playwright's Festival at his theatre each year. "We're hoping to prime ourselves as being the regional theater in Los Angeles. Now, we've just got to find the financial support to back our reputation." He adds, "It's also tough to get commitments from actors because as soon as they get a pilot, they leave you in the lurch. It's not like Chicago or New York or San Francisco or Seattle, where all the stage work is. In L.A. you could get a Puppy Chow commercial call back and bail on your play. But hey, you gotta go pay the bills."
Meanwhile, Wyle -- who's making his feature film directorial debut this spring with an indie comedy called "The Prince Test" -- says he's choosing his jobs "very carefully now that I'm on full-time daddy duty." The father of two young'uns says being a dad "certainly focuses my energy. I have a constant smile on my face. I worked for a long time thinking that everything I was doing was for myself, and as soon as my son was born, I knew 'No, no, no, it's got nothing to do with me. It's all for him.' I'm very grateful that 'ER' has given me the ability to be financially secure and take the time to really be at home for the precious years when they actually still want me around before I'm an embarrassment to them."
WOMAN OF MANY HATS: With pilot season upon us, Jane Seymour says "People are asking me about various things." But the former "Dr. Quinn" doesn't know whether she wants to jump back into the series game full time -- as opposed to something like her recurring "In Case of Emergency" gig. "It would depend on the series and character. I'm raising a couple of 11-year-olds here," says the mother of twin sons Johnny and Kris, in addition to grown son and daughter Katherine and Sean. "I also have my art and my design work -- I have a major line that's launching of home goods and giftable items. So it's not like I have a ton of spare time."
(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)