Aug. 23, 2005

'Dog' days ahead for Holland

By Tatiana Siegel
Emmy-winning TV director Todd Holland has signed on to helm "Firehouse Dog" for Regency Enterprises. Josh Hutcherson is on board to star in the live-action feature, which is being produced by Michael Colleary and Mike Werb.

The story centers on Rexxx, Hollywood's most in-demand canine star. After getting lost, the divalike dog is adopted by a down-on-its-luck firehouse. Rexxx teams with a 12-year-old boy (Hutcherson) to turn the scrappy firehouse into the city's finest.

"It's very high-octane family fun," Colleary said. "It's unusual because it's a family movie but also an action film. It's a little bit of a satire of Hollywood, too, but also warmhearted."

"Dog," which was written by Claire-Dee Lim, starts shooting Sept. 18 in Toronto. It marks the first sale for Lim.

Holland, who won two Emmys for directing "Malcolm in the Middle" and one for "The Larry Sanders Show," helmed the 1998 film "Krippendorf's Tribe."

"Dog" marks Hutcherson's second lead role in a Regency film. He stars in the studio's "Little Manhattan," which opens Sept. 30 in New York. He also stars in the upcoming Jon Favreau-helmed children's book adaptation "Zathura."

Holland is repped by Endeavor. Hutcherson is repped by ICM and Rick Beddingfield.

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