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American Morning

'Sum of All Fears' Opens Today

Aired May 31, 2002 - 09:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bomb is in play.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: "The Sum of All Fears," which hits theaters today, may be all too real for some movie goers with its nuclear terrorist plot. The film's star, Ben Affleck, says he's not sure exactly how audiences might react.

Affleck plays Jack Ryan, and that is a story in and of itself. He is the third Jack Ryan, and we are going to talk a little about that with our entertainment reporter Susan Campos, who is here with me. He is the third Jack Ryan, and in the story, which takes place 11 years after the second Jack Ryan movie, the star is going to actually be younger than the star of the second -- I mean, you have to suspend all reality when you walk into the theater for this?

SUSAN CAMPOS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: You absolutely do, because, again, it is 11 years later, and then, you know, Ben Affleck doesn't have a wrinkle on his face. But, all that aside, this movie is tracking very well. It's expected to do 20 or 30 million -- between 20 and 30 million at the box office this weekend. And you consider that when "Spider Man" and "Star Wars" are both out there, that's very good.

CAFFERTY: That's a pretty good number, right?

CAMPOS: That is.

CAFFERTY: Now what about this concern that the producers had and some of the critics that similarity to modern day events might be a turnoff, apparently that is not going to be a big factor?

CAMPOS: They don't think so, and they had done this before September 11, so they really couldn't change it, but they do seem like they have been downplaying as much as possible that kind of terrorist plot.

CAFFERTY: Now, the previous Jack Ryans, as I recall, were Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin, and they each did one Jack Ryan, and then said, We're moving on to other things.

CAMPOS: Well, actually, Harrison Ford did two, because he did "Patriot Games"...

CAFFERTY: Oh, that's right. Sure.

CAMPOS: ... and "Clear and Present Danger." And then Alec Baldwin did "Hunt for Red October," so he was the original one. Paramount wanted him to stay with it, and basically said, well listen, I have to do "A Street Car Named Desire" on Broadway, and I will get back to you, and they said, We will go to Harrison Ford.

CAFFERTY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) wanted to be an artist. What is it about some movie stars that will walk away from what becomes an annuity. We were talking earlier, Sean Connery did all the "007" films. Some stars will refuse to do it. Jodie Foster turned down the sequel to "Silence of the Lambs." Michael Keaton turned down "Batman." It didn't hurt Jodie Foster, but now it is Michael who?

CAMPOS: I know, a lot of people say, this is the big mistake for Michael Keaton, why didn't he do it? A lot of stars are afraid to be type cast, so they don't want to do this. Here's the other side of it. If you do a franchise, you get in one, you can get $20 million pay days, and you are building an audience. Then, if you want to go do an arty movie in between these blockbusters, you can do that, and you have the financial independence to do it as well.

CAFFERTY: Is it -- I guess it's a bit of a gamble whether or not they can successfully say no to this, and you have to have, I guess, some box office appeal before you make that decision, or you are really risking throwing your career away if you walk away from one of these.

CAMPOS: You really are risking that, and I think that a lot of times, what actors don't realize, is especially with these Tom Clancy books or Ian Fleming books for the "James Bond" movies, those are so popular that the character is actually more popular than the actor, but somebody like Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator," I don't know if you can do "Terminator" without him. For the next "Terminator," he is going to get something like $30 million.

CAFFERTY: Wow. And he will probably not never be asked to do "A Streetcar Named Desire."

CAMPOS: I don't think he has to worry about that.

CAFFERTY: I am on to one of the great mysteries of the small screen. The premier of "Undercover Brother," CNN sent some cameras, and asked the following question. Watch this piece of tape, and we will get Susan to talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ted L. Nancy? I don't know. Can he give me a loan or something? I don't know who he is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you guys know who Ted L. Nancy is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great friend of ours. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: What did he say? It is a great friend of ours? What is this mystery about Ted L. Nancy?

CAMPOS: So they are saying, is Ted L. Nancy Jerry Seinfeld? That is what everybody is wondering, is these books -- these are books that are written, and basically, Jerry Seinfeld has written the introduction. Nobody has ever met Ted L. Nancy, so they are wondering, is this possibly him. I spoke with his publicist, Jerry Seinfeld's, this morning, who is on bed rest, and I said, Elizabeth is it him? And she said, "I cannot say, but everybody has been calling today (ph)."

CAFFERTY: Well, it looks like if it is, he has maybe tapped into another potential huge thing here, right?

CAMPOS: There is a lot of hype, and there was a bidding war to get, you know, "Letters from a Nut" -- basically to get this. ABC has it. They are going to do a pilot, so everybody wants to know, is Jerry Seinfeld Ted L. Nancy?

CAFFERTY: To be continued.

CAMPOS: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Susan, good to see you. Thanks.

CAMPOS: Thank you.

CAFFERTY: Susan Campos.

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