In 2001, Duncan began developing the project with Fox Searchlight, but it never got off the ground. In 2005, "Alice" was brought by producers Anne Carey and Anthony Bregman to Paramount, where they hoped the project would be greenlighted by its Nickelodeon Films division.
Several sources say Duncan prepared scrapbooks filled with visual cues for the film -- Kate Moss, to name one, was the basis for the movie's lead role -- and met with Lindsay Lohan and Kevin Federline, among others, to cast it. The script received serious consideration at a table reading on the studio lot in February 2006.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday August 04, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 25 words Type of Material: Correction
Suicides: An article in Friday's Calendar about the deaths of Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan misspelled the last name of author George Pelecanos as Pelicanos.
Ultimately, "Alice" never went into production because the studio and the producers could not agree on a budget and executives remained unconvinced of the film's appeal to its target audience, preteen girls. "We couldn't make the budget work," said Bregman. "It was a very complicated film visually, a very ambitious film for a first-time director. That's why it didn't happen."
In the chronology, Tom Cruise is accused of having used his clout at Paramount, where his production company was then based, to personally derail "Alice" because it offended "his profound loyalty to Scientology." Several sources close to the project said the allegation is baseless. Cruise's spokeswoman said: "The Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan suicides were a terrible tragedy. However, Tom did not know them and had absolutely no connection to their project or Paramount's disposition of it."
An agent at United Talent Agency is named as the "main villain in ruining the film's progress" at Paramount. A spokesman for UTA said, "We spent considerable time and energy trying to get the film financed. We are saddened by this tragedy."
Also in the chronology, Miranda July is accused of spreading unspecified defamation about Duncan in New York and is identified as a "Scientologist filmmaker" even though she is not affiliated with the church. July declined to comment. And a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology, Karin Pouw, called the conspiracy allegations "bizarre."
Around this time, friends and associates recall receiving accusatory group e-mails from Duncan. In one of them, she denied a rumor of having had an affair with a famous artist -- a rumor no one contacted seemed to have heard about, let alone believe.
