Post by CrazyGirl on Jul 17, 2004 5:59:04 GMT -5
O12 rumors "ridiculous"
LOS ANGELES — Ocean's 12 producer Jerry Weintraub wants to set the
record straight: Mobsters didn't try to extort anyone connected with
the production during shooting in Italy.
"We were never approached by any Mafia for extortion money,"
Weintraub told The Associated Press on Thursday after reading news
dispatches that Mafia-busting Italian undercover officers secretly
monitored the star-studded Ocean's 12 production in Sicily.
As part of a Mafia investigation, officers noticed that suspected
mobsters were hanging around the Ocean's 12 set in the seaside town
of Scopello, western Sicily, police official Giuseppe Linares said
earlier this week.
The mobsters may have been looking to extort the production or could
have been worried that a secret alcove used to hide arms in the area
could be discovered during the production, Linares said.
"It's ridiculous. It's total fabrication," Weintraub said. "They
said I was worried about my stars. That was nonsense. No one ever
threatened any of us. If anybody was going to get extorted it was
me.
"All of Italy was great. We had nothing but a wonderful time. I hate
for them to get a bum rap like this."
The Ocean's 12 stars — including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt
Damon, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones — and Weintraub are
back in Southern California to complete shooting of the sequel,
which will be released Dec. 10.
Linares said the film's crew and cast were unaware of the
investigation and of the local Mafia activity. News of the unusual
movie-monitoring emerged when police in Trapani announced Tuesday
that they had arrested 19 alleged mobsters after a two-year
investigation.
The gang's alleged crimes revolved largely around the extortion of
local businesses around the town of Castellammare del Golfo, near
Trapani.
LOS ANGELES — Ocean's 12 producer Jerry Weintraub wants to set the
record straight: Mobsters didn't try to extort anyone connected with
the production during shooting in Italy.
"We were never approached by any Mafia for extortion money,"
Weintraub told The Associated Press on Thursday after reading news
dispatches that Mafia-busting Italian undercover officers secretly
monitored the star-studded Ocean's 12 production in Sicily.
As part of a Mafia investigation, officers noticed that suspected
mobsters were hanging around the Ocean's 12 set in the seaside town
of Scopello, western Sicily, police official Giuseppe Linares said
earlier this week.
The mobsters may have been looking to extort the production or could
have been worried that a secret alcove used to hide arms in the area
could be discovered during the production, Linares said.
"It's ridiculous. It's total fabrication," Weintraub said. "They
said I was worried about my stars. That was nonsense. No one ever
threatened any of us. If anybody was going to get extorted it was
me.
"All of Italy was great. We had nothing but a wonderful time. I hate
for them to get a bum rap like this."
The Ocean's 12 stars — including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt
Damon, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones — and Weintraub are
back in Southern California to complete shooting of the sequel,
which will be released Dec. 10.
Linares said the film's crew and cast were unaware of the
investigation and of the local Mafia activity. News of the unusual
movie-monitoring emerged when police in Trapani announced Tuesday
that they had arrested 19 alleged mobsters after a two-year
investigation.
The gang's alleged crimes revolved largely around the extortion of
local businesses around the town of Castellammare del Golfo, near
Trapani.