Will 'Fraggle' rock? The Weinstein Company is looking for a new screenwriter for its "Fraggle Rock" movie, because the current script apparently is not "edgy" enough. To bring the Fraggles into, gulp, PG territory, the aim is to have the critters wander about the real world. Whew! We had visions of drug dealing and dysfunctional families.

The final reel Zach Galifianakis is the top choice to play the title role in a remake of Don Knotts' "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." ... Sam Raimi will direct Robert Downey Jr. in the prequel "Oz: The Great and Powerful." Meanwhile, a film simply titled "OZ" from brothers Mark and Michael Polish ("The Astronaut Farmer") is scheduled for release next year. ... Robert Rodriguez has been offered the chance to direct "Deadpool," starring Ryan Reynolds. ... Patrick Dempsey stars in the 1960s coming-of-age story "Tom's Dad" for Lasse HallstrÖm ("Dear John," "The Cider House Rules"). ... Russell Crowe will be "The Equalizer" in a big-screen version of the 1980s TV crime series.

CYNTHIA DICKISON