Chris and Paul Weitz, the creative brother team that directed the hilarious teen comedy American Pie, are in Toronto shooting their follow-up, I Was Made to Love Her, produced by Alphaville in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, and to be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Produced by Alphaville principals Sean Daniel and Jim Jacks and 3 Arts’ Michael Rotenberg, and starring comedian Chris Rock, the feature film, touted as a romantic comedy, is estimated to be budgeted at $35 million, although the producers refused to disclose the exact figure.

Written by Rock, the Weitz brothers (Antz, Madeline), Ali LeRoi, Lance Crouther and Louis CK, the film is a comedic take on Heaven Can Wait.

Rock’s character Lance Barton is an aspiring stand-up comedian who bombs every time he gets on stage, but the joke’s on him when he finds himself at heaven’s door. As it turns out, an over-zealous angel played by Eugene Levy (American Pie) jumped the gun on the young comedian’s death.

When Lance, who happens to be an organ donor, demands to be returned to earth, he discovers most of his body has been cut up and spread around. Enter the benevolent head angel played by Chazz Palminteri (Stuart Little), who provides Lance with a temporary body – belonging to a cold-hearted, wealthy industrialist – until a more suitable host can be found. Despite the unlikely match, Lance ultimately finds his true self, captures the heart of a beautiful woman played by Regina King (Enemy of the State), and finally discovers the secret of success in life and stand-up comedy.

The film began shooting in Toronto on Feb. 14 and continues until March 21 at such locations as Yuk Yuks, the Silver Dollar Room and the Pantages Theatre.

After Toronto, the production heads to New York where it will shoot for the remainder of March through to the end of April. A late summer release is expected.

The film also stars Mark Addy (The Full Monty), Frankie Faison (The Thomas Crown Affair), Greg Germann (Ally McBeal) and Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie).

Barry Berg is exec producer.

* Nelvana takes Pelswick to the tube

Syndicated cartoonists are getting their fair share of play at Nelvana lately, first with the adaptation of Michael Fry’s Committed and now with Pulitzer prize winner John Callahan’s Pelswick, which the toonco has turned into a 13-part, half-hour, animated series for cbc and Nickelodeon.

The 2D animated series, directed by Ted Bastien, penned by Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers, and targeted at the eight-to-15 crowd, follows the daily life of Pelswick Eggert, an 11-year-old boy who provides a fresh and quirky point of view on the world from the seat of his wheelchair.

‘He often uncovers ironies that most of us take for granted,’ says supervising producer Marianne Culbert. But the fact that he’s handicapped is not a focus of the series, which Culbert describes as both edgy and lighthearted.

One episode, for example, sees Pelswick questioning the logic behind why handicapped parking spots are positioned closest to the entrance of buildings and handicapped toilet stalls are usually the furthest from the door.

The series, exec produced by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive Smith, is a coproduction with China.

Alice Hyatt is line producing.

It is currently being cast and an air date has yet to be established.

* Hippo in My Tub becomes a series

Balmur Entertainment brings Evening Sky Productions’ The Hippo Tub Co to cbc for fall 2000 and the pubcaster has already placed a second order of 13 episodes for season two.

Based on the song Hey Daddy from the album There’s a Hippo in My Tub made famous by Anne Murray in the late 1970s, the 13-part, half-hour animated series, budgeted at $350,000 an ep,

follows the adventures of Harley the Hippo and his friend Norton the Bird. Harley wears a magical tub which morphs and turns out an endless array of gadgets, and their adventures take place inside the drain in Drain World. ‘It answers the question of what’s down there,’ says exec producer and Balmur president and ceo Tony Baylis. Evening Sky president David Corbett is co-exec producing.

The 2D animated project, the first from Evening Sky – a fully-owned subsidiary of Balmur – is being directed by Bob Fortier, who also handled the animation design. Kate Barris is story editor.

Four books published by Stoddart Books and a sound track will be launched in conjunction with the series. As well, the original album will be rereleased by EMI Music Canada.

Murray sings the opening and closing title scenes in the series.

* Startz teams with Catalyst

Emmy Award-winning, New York-based producer Jane Startz has teamed up with Catalyst Entertainment to produce and distribute three family-style feature films.

Startz (Indian in My Cupboard, The Mighty), along with Catalyst principals Charles Falzon and Nancy Chapelle, will exec produce the films, budgeted at us$2 million to us$3 million each and to be shot in and around Toronto within the next 18 months.

Alexander’s Vampire, based on the book of the same name, explores the world of vampires, first crushes and school peer pressure as it follows the amusing lengths that one young man is willing to go to for the sake of love and social acceptance.

It’s Only Me, penned by Mollie Fermaglich, tells the story of 11-year-old Sydney, an only child who longs for a sibling, but after her wish comes true, she realizes that being an only child isn’t so bad after all.

And finally, Queen’s Rhapsody, written by Maribeth Edmonds, tells the story of the unique friendship between two nemeses – Hannie, a gawky, red-headed teenager and the very cool and self-assured Gina – each helping the other obtain her dreams.

Producer Paul Brown (Virtual Mom) is attached to all three projects.

* Pebblehut, Fox partner on Deliberate Intent

Pebblehut Productions has teamed up with Fox Network to produce the mow Deliberate Intent for u.s. channel fx. A Canadian broadcaster is yet to be attached.

Budgeted at $4 million, the film is exec produced by Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein of Pebblehut’s l.a.-based parentco Jaffe/Braunstein Films.

Randi Richmond is producing.

Written by l.a. scribes Lisa Mohan and Andy Wolk (The Defenders), with Wolk directing, the film is based on a true story about a Maryland man who hires a hitman to kill his wife and handicapped son. The hitman succeeds in killing them, as well as a nurse, by following instructions from a book called How to be a Hitman. In an unprecedented case, the family not only succeeds in having both the husband and the hitman convicted, but they also go after the publisher of the aforementioned book, who ultimately settles in court.

‘It’s really a story about challenging the First Amendment – the freedom of speech and the written word,’ says Richmond.

Since the suit ended in 1997, the book has been pulled off the shelves.

The film stars Timothy Hutton and James McDaniels (NYPD Blue) and is shooting in Toronto between March 17 and April 11.

June is the estimated air date.

Fox holds worldwide distribution rights.

* Carrey chronicled

The first full-length Canadian biography of Jim Carrey, Somebody Stop Me: The Jim Carrey Story, will be airing on cbc March 14 as part of the Life & Times series.

A Cogent/Benger production, the one-off was written, directed and produced by Robin Benger, coproduced by partner Christopher Sumpton, and cowritten and narrated by Ralph Benmergui, who is also attached as associate producer.

The doc will feature rare footage and interviews that have never been aired before, including discussions with Carrey’s manager and agent who describe how they reached a $20-million fee for his more recent projects.

* Hiltz Squared takes turn in improv area

Hiltz Squared Productions is making its move from shorts to features with House of Voices, a scriptless project that promises lots of surprises, particularly for the principal actor.

Directed by Naomi Hiltz and produced by Jonathan Hiltz and Myles Shane (Famous Dead People), the threesome which makes up Hiltz Squared, the film will shoot in one day, March 12, three times over.

In pure improvisational style, the director will throw out unrehearsed situations at the main character, a schizophrenic screenwriter played by theatre actor Christian McKenna, and he will react.

The final product will include the best of each take.

But because the film has no script, Hiltz says it’s been impossible to attach a distributor. ‘Everyone wants to see it first.’

On a more conventional line, the year-old prodco is in the final stages of development on Harmony, a dramatic feature about a pop singer in a boy band who seeks to regain his soul after losing it to the pitfalls of his celebrity lifestyle.

Budgeted at $2.8 million and presold to TMN-The Movie Network, the film will be directed by Naomi Hiltz. Jonathan Hiltz penned the script and is producing with Shane. Andre Bennett is attached as exec producer.

Playing Solitaire is the third project on the go. Currently being written by Jonathan, the film tells the story of a superhero who falls in love and gives up on the city he’s trying to save.