Wall Street Journal-"The Importance of Being Eisner " By John Lippman

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HOLLYWOOD REPORT

The Importance of Being Eisner

CEO's Son Makes a Name
For Himself in Ads, Film;
Praise From Father' s Foe
By JOHN LIPPMAN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 7, 2004; Page W12

Hollywood is a family town, and few family members will face a harsher glare than Breck Eisner when he makes his feature directorial debut early next year with "Sahara." As if overseeing a crew of more than 200 people on a picture with exotic foreign locations wasn't enough pressure, Mr. Eisner must also contend with being the son of the industry's most controversial executive: Walt Disney's Michael Eisner.

     The 34-year-old Breck Eisner has been picked for the $125 million action adventure, which will be distributed by Paramount Pictures -- even though his previous oeuvre consists of two made-for-cable-TV movies and one episode of a TV series. He's mostly known as a director of more than 50 commercials, such as the 2002 spot with Shaquille O'Neal celebrating the 45th anniversary of Burger King's Whopper hamburger and the Clio Award-winning Budweiser spot that appeared during the 1997 Super Bowl.

     Penelope Cruz, Steve Zahn and Matthew McConaughey in 'Sahara.'

     Many people who have either worked with or hired Mr. Eisner say he is a skilled director in his own right who would be highly sought after, regardless of his last name. A student film of his made it to the Aspen Filmfest and Cannes Film Festival. Praise for his work comes from the place least expected: DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg, whose acrimonious split from Disney ended up in court and cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars -- and the embarrassing disclosure that Michael Eisner referred to his longtime lieutenant as a "little midget." DreamWorks hired the younger Mr. Eisner to direct an episode of its sci-fi cable-TV series "Taken."

"We are enormous fans of his," says Mr. Katzenberg. DreamWorks partner Steven Spielberg, who was executive producer of "Taken," "really mentored him," says Mr. Katzenberg. "I can assure you his name had nothing to do with him getting a job at DreamWorks," he adds.
Breck Eisner was filming on location and unavailable for comment for this column, said William Morris Agency, which represents the director. Michael Eisner also couldn't be reached.

"Sahara," from a novel by Clive Cussler, stars Matthew McConaughey as the secret agent Dirk Pitt, who discovers that something in the water is driving thousands of people mad in North Africa and threatening the rest of humanity. Penelope Cruz plays a U.S. scientist investigating the pollution. The film has had its troubles out of the starting gate: Mr. Cussler has sued the production company for not giving him the script approval he claims he was contractually owed. The suit is pending in a California state court.

Breck Eisner got involved in "Sahara" through Howard Baldwin, its producer. The former owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and onetime board member of the National Hockey League met the younger Mr. Eisner through his father, whose company owns the Mighty Ducks ice-hockey team.

Being Michael Eisner's son is "both an asset and a liability, let's be candid," says Mr. Baldwin. He initially hired Mr. Eisner for the sci-fi thriller "A Sound of Thunder"; based on a story by Ray Bradbury and directed by Peter Hyams, it will be released this fall by Warner Bros. Although it's unclear whether Mr. Eisner will get a credit on the film, he was involved in its early development.

Meanwhile, Mr. Baldwin was also planning the production of "Sahara." Mr. Baldwin originally considered Mr. Eisner for the "Sahara" directing job, but says, "Everybody felt it would be great to have more movie experience under his belt." Then Mr. Eisner directed two cable-TV movies. When the original director of "Sahara" dropped out, Mr. Baldwin hired Mr. Eisner.

The financing for "Sahara" comes from Colorado real-estate tycoon Philip Anschutz, who is putting some of his wealth into a crusade for more family-oriented pictures. Mr. Anschutz has several deals with the elder Eisner's company. Mr. Anschutz's company financed this summer's "Around the World in 80 Days," which Disney is distributing.