All for ‘America’

I’m rooting for the movie “Air America.” I just hope they get it right--not like John M. Wilson’s article “The Fine Art of Making a Deal” (in The Times’ May 27 publication, The Movies).

In it, (producer) Dan Melnick gives an interview on “Air America,” saying that when he took over the project “they hadn’t been able to get a good script on it, it couldn’t attract stars, it was just floundering along.”

Not true. There was an astoundingly good script that had attracted a galaxy of stars, including Sean Connery. Connery was in fact set for the picture, which had been green-lighted by Carolco and given a start date.

Locations, aircraft and logistics had already been locked down in Southeast Asia. The production was anything but “floundering along”; it was bulletproof. When Melnick came on the “Air America” scene, Connery, with monumental grace, withdrew from the project because his director (me) was no longer aboard.

Later in the article, Melnick ruminates that he had envisioned an older actor in the role, “someone like Connery. . . .” (Well, we do agree on that one.)

As I said, I’m rooting for “Air America,” a dark comedy about the convolutions of the American conscience. It’s got every chance for metaphoric brilliance and commercial success. I just hope they get it right!

RICHARD RUSH

Los Angeles