JN Entertainment

Franklin native Sam Raimi produces a new spy spoof
for the '90s.

LYNNE KONSTANTIN STAFF WRITER

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COURTESY OF MCANNIVERSAL

Raimi's Game

e boy next door has got a
brand-new game. Sam Raimi,
Franklin native, Shaarey
Zedek bar mitzvah, father of
two and cult-film icon, is the pro-
ducer of "Spy Game," which pre-
miered this week on ABC
(Channel 7).
The creative spirit behind such
film classics as the Evil Dead
movies, Darkman and Army of
Darkness found its way to Raimi's
small-screen wonders: "Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys," star-
ring hunk Kevin Sorbs:), and its
Army of Darkness.
spinoff, "Rena: Warrior Princess," Sam Raimi directing
starring Lucy Lawless. Now, Rai- college in order to raise money for three years not going off to work
mi is expanding his foray into the the project. Ivan went on to med- on movies. I was away a lot, and
ical school but continues to be in- I thought, 'I don't have a lot of
world of television.
time to focus on my family and my
And, consistent with Raimi's volved in the creative process.
Explains Raimi, "We shot a lit- wife, Gillian (the daughter of "Bo-
creative history, "Spy Game" has,
at its heart, the essence of "the tle horror movie called Evil Dead, nanza" star Lorne Greene),' so
Raimi touch" — that is, humor, which we were fortunate enough that's how TV came in," says Rai-
with tongue planted firmly in to have gain a lot of notoriety in mi. "I'm very lucky to have that
PHOTO BY BOB D'AMICO/ABC
option."
cheek.
Now that Raimi has
"It's an action show,
paved his way into tele-
really," Raimi explains.
vision, he looks forward
"It pokes fun at the spy
to getting back to the
genre. It's OK to laugh
movies. One film he's
with it."
working on, Crossroad-
The show, which stars
ers, is in developmen
Linden Ashby (Mortal
at Tri-Star. Frosty the
Kombat) and Allison
Snowman, which goes
Smith (Jerry Maguire),
into production at War-
is a comic-tinged, high-
ner Bros. in December,
tech spy adventure that
tells the tale of a musi-
has been described as a
cian father who comes
cross between "Mission:
back to life as a snow-
Impossible" and "The
man in order to spend
Man from U.N.C.L.E."
time with his son.
So how did a nice
Although he obvious-
Jewish boy from Frank-
ly likes to have fun with
lin end up in the Holly-
his work, Raimi's influ-
wood game, producing
ences are serious as
TV shows and conduct-
well. "I'm a big fan of
ing interviews on his cell
Hitchcock, Fritz Lang,
phone?
John Huston. I think
'Well, actually, I live
that Steven Spielberg
in Brentwood," laughs Allison Smith and Linden Ashby in "Spy Game," produced by
has done a wonderful
Raimi.
Sam Raimi.
thing with his filmmak-
"My good friend from
[Groves] high school Bruce Camp- the Cannes market, which helped ing, telling the story of Jews in
bell and I used to go out and make get it sold, which enabled us to re- Schindler's List. He took good ad-
vantnge of his position to do some-
Super 8 movies in Franklin and turn money to investors ..."
Raimi, Tapert and Campbell thing good," Raimi adds.
Birmingham," he said. "We
In the Hitchcock tradition, Rai-
teamed up with a few other eventually formed their own pro-
friends, and we had some great duction company, Renaissance mi's still thrilling his audiences.
teachers that would let us show Pictures, which also produces "The new show is an idea my
brother Ivan and I created with
our movies in the auditorium dur- "Spy Game."
Because he's been busy with John McNamara, and is similar
ing lunch."
After graduation, Raimi and television productions, Raimi's to what The Avengers' tried to be
his brother Ivan went to Michi- faithful audience has been wait- in the '60s." He adds, "If you like
gan State University, where they ing to see some big-screen action. the genre, this is the show for
met Grosse Pointe native Robert "I've got a 2-year-old (Lorne, after you." El
Tapert. The three decided to make whom a "Spy Game" character is
"Spy Game " airs 8 p.m. Mon-
a feature film, which led to Sam named) and a 12-week-old (Hen-
days, on ABC.
Raimi and Tapert dropping out of ry); I've wanted to spend the last

Find out in this weeks
JN Entertainment section.

A Romantic
Comedy/Mystery
by Tom
Stoppard

March 19-
April 13

'Tom
Stoppard's
richest,
most
ravishing
comedy"

New York
Times

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