From the Boston Herald, "Inside Track" column by Laura Raposa
and Gayle Fee. A civil reaction

And speaking of "Pulp Fiction," John Travolta has a big hit for Disney
with his made-in-Boston flick "A Civil Action," but that didn't stop
the studio bosses from passing on the star's pet project.

Travolta, a member of the Church of Scientology and one of its biggest
Hollywood boosters, has been trying to get studios to make a film
version of "Battlefield Earth," a science-fiction novel penned by
church founder L. Ron Hubbard.

He shopped the $80 million project to Disney, and some insiders
expected the studio to give it the green light after the pile of dough
Travolta made for them with "A Civil Action." But no way.

Word is, Disney cheese Joe Roth is NOT a fan of the controversial
religious cult. But it looks like Travolta is finally going to get the
film to screen: He's lined up Roger Christian, the second-unit
director of "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," to direct, and the film
will be produced by Franchise Pictures, a small independent company
run by actress Tia Carrera's husband. Travolta will, of course, star.

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