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Revolution Studios and Imagine Entertainment have begun production in Santa Fe, New Mexico on "The Missing," a suspense thriller directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind"), it was announced today by Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth. The film stars Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones ("The Fugitive") and Academy Award nominee Cate Blanchett ("Elizabeth"), and is scheduled for a March 1, 2004 release by Columbia Pictures.

Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett), a young woman alone in an isolated and lawless wilderness, must reunite with her long estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones) to track the mystical, psychopathic killer known as Chidin (Eric Schweig). Chidin, together with his brutal pack of army deserters, has kidnapped a collection of teenage girls, and has taken Maggie's daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) as his most recent prize. Maggie and her father must track the outlaws trail of death and horror across the desolate 1885 New Mexico landscape and catch them before they make the Mexican border and disappear forever.

The film is being produced for Revolution Studios by Academy Award winner Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind"), of Imagine Entertainment, and Daniel Ostroff ("Dogtown and Z-Boys"). Todd Hallowell ("Ransom," "Apollo 13") is serving as executive producer. The screenplay is by Ken Kaufman ("Space Cowboys") and is based on the novel "The Last Ride" by Thomas Eidson.

"It is great to be reunited with Brian and Ron on 'The Missing' after we had such a wonderful experience working together on 'Ransom,'" said Revolution Studios' Roth. "Ron will make an indelible mark on this project and we are so happy that he chose it as his follow up to 'A Beautiful Mind.'"

Added Grazer, "Ron and I have a great relationship with Joe and we are excited to be working with him and everyone at Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures on this compelling and multi-layered film."

Tommy Lee Jones, who plays Samuel Jones, won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in "The Fugitive." He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his role in "JFK" and won an Emmy Award for his role in "The Executioner's Song." Jones was most recently seen in the hit comedy "Men in Black II" and will next be seen in the thriller "The Hunted." His other credits include "Space Cowboys," "U.S. Marshals," "Men in Black," "Batman Forever," "Cobb," and "Natural Born Killers."

Cate Blanchett, who portrays Maggie Gilkeson, was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of the title character in "Elizabeth." She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in "Bandits." Blanchett was most recently seen in blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," and will be seen next in the drama "Veronica Guerin." Her other credits include "The Shipping News," "Charlotte Gray," "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Gift," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and "Oscar and Lucinda."

Rounding out the cast are Aaron Eckhart, who plays Brake Baldwin, Eric Schweig, who plays Chidin, Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Lilly Gilkeson, and Jenna Boyd, who plays Dot Gilkeson. Eckhart will next be seen in the thriller "Suspect Zero" and the action drama "The Core." His other credits include "The Pledge," "Nurse Betty," "Erin Brockovich," "Any Given Sunday," and "In the Company of Men." Schweig's credits include "Tom and Huck," "The Scarlet Letter," "Squanto: A warrior's Tale," and "The Last of the Mohicans." Wood will next be seen in teen drama "Thirteen," which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Her other credits include the films "Simone" and "Practical Magic" and roles on the television series "Once and Again" and "Profiler." Boyd will next be seen in the action film "The Hunted," also starring Tommy Lee Jones, and the comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." Her previous credits include the film "In an Instant" and appearances on the television series "C.S.I.," "Six Feet Under" and "Just Shoot Me."

Ron Howard, co-founder and co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment, most recently directed "A Beautiful Mind," for which he won two Academy Awards (Best Picture and Best Director). He also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director for "Apollo 13," starring Tom Hanks. Howard's other credits include the box office hit "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," starring Jim Carrey, "Ransom," with Mel Gibson and Rene Russo, "Far and Away," with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and "Splash," starring Hanks and John Candy.

Brian Grazer won the Best Picture Academy Award for "A Beautiful Mind." Grazer is currently working on "The Cat in the Hat," starring Mike Myers and "Intolerable Cruelty" starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones and directed by the Coen Brothers. His other credits include "8 Mile," "Blue Crush," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Liar Liar," "The Nutty Professor," "Kindergarten Cop," "Parenthood," and the television series "24."

SOURCE: Revolution Studios