Movieline meteorologists have downgraded Valentine's Day -- that vicious category-5 romcom gathering strength off the Multiplex Coast -- following word that Katherine Heigl will not be among its participants. Reasons for the sudden change in pressure have yet to be determined, but early speculation suggests that Heigl demanded more money than New Line Cinema was willing to pay. How much more? It's Katherine Heigl -- how much do you think?
Page Six places her demands around $3 million -- this for a He's Just Not That Into You-style ensemble film eyeing Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine and Julia Freaking Roberts as castmates. Heigl, who went from the $30-grossing Zyzzyx Road to being Hollywood's fifth-highest paid actress in about three years flat, was reportedly laughed out of the room by New Line, which cited the cast's compressed shooting schedules of two weeks or less.
Naturally, Heigl's rep is furious, noting only that "early negotiations are a daily occurrence in this business" and that the star left the project, not the other way around. We'll never know, of course, but in any event, Valentine's Day will make landfall with or without her. Keep an eye out here for further bulletins and evacuation orders as February 2010 approaches.
ยท KATHERINE HEIGL IS OVERPRICED [NYP]