UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Principal photography has begun on Universal Pictures' "The Life of David Gale," directed by Alan Parker. Starring two-time Academy Award(R)-winner Kevin Spacey and Oscar(R)-nominees Kate Winslet and Laura Linney, the taut suspense thriller is a Saturn Films/Intermedia/Dirty Hands production, which Parker is producing with Nicolas Cage. It is being filmed entirely in and around Austin, Texas.

In Charles Randolph's original screenplay, David Gale (Spacey) is a man who has tried hard to live by his principles but in a bizarre twist of fate, this devoted father, popular professor and respected death penalty opponent finds himself on Death Row for the rape and murder of fellow activist Constance Hallaway (Linney). With only three days before his scheduled execution, Gale agrees to give Pulitzer-hungry reporter Bitsey Bloom (Winslet) the exclusive interview she's been chasing. But Bitsey soon realizes that this assignment is more than she bargained for, and that a man's life is in her hands. Putting her own safety in jeopardy, she frantically races to piece together the shocking events surrounding Constance's death, before it's too late.

Rounding out the cast are Gabriel Mann as Zack, Rhona Mitra as Berlin, Matt Craven as Dusty and Leon Rippy as Braxton Belyeu. Parker's behind-the-scenes team on "The Life of David Gale" includes line producer David Wimbury ("Angela's Ashes," "Evita"), cinematographer Michael Seresin ("Domestic Disturbance," "Midnight Express"), production designer Geoffrey Kirkland ("Angela's Ashes," "Come See the Paradise"), costume designer Renee Erlich Kalfus ("The Shipping News," "Chocolat") and editor Gerry Hambling ("Angela's Ashes," "The Boxer").

Alan Parker began his career in London as a commercials director where he honed his elegant visual style and revealed his knack for story-telling. He made his foray into feature films in the seventies with such memorable classics as "Bugsy Malone" and "Midnight Express" for which he was nominated for an Academy Award(R). Since then, Parker has directed such films as "Fame," "Shoot the Moon," "Pink Floyd The Wall," "Birdy," "Angel Heart," "Mississippi Burning," "Come See The Paradise" and "The Commitments." More recently, he directed "Evita" and "Angela's Ashes."

Kevin Spacey exploded onto cinema screens six years ago when he starred in three films back-to-back: "Swimming With Sharks," "The Usual Suspects," for which he won his first Academy Award(R), and David Fincher's "Seven." He went on to star in such films as "L.A. Confidential," "Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil," "The Negotiator," "Hurlyburly" and "The Big Kahuna." Spacey received his second Academy Award(R) for his performance in "American Beauty." He can currently be seen in director Iain Softley's "K-PAX" opposite Jeff Bridges, and will next be seen in Lasse Halstrom's "The Shipping News" opposite Dame Judi Dench, Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett.

Spacey is also a Tony Award(R)-winning stage actor, and has appeared in such productions as "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Lost In Yonkers" and "The Iceman Cometh." In 1997 Spacey formed Trigger Street Productions which produced the stage production of "The Iceman Cometh," the off-Broadway production of Cobb and the feature film "The Big Kahuna." Spacey made his feature film directorial debut with "Albino Alligator."

Kate Winslet's first big break came at the age of 17 when she was cast as an obsessive adolescent in Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures." Not long after, the young actress received an Academy Award(R) nomination for her performance in "Sense and Sensibility." Two more period pieces followed: Jude and Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet," before Winslet catapulted to stardom with James Cameron's "Titanic," which brought her a second Academy Award(R) nomination. Winslet followed this success with "Hideous Kinky," "Holy Smoke" and "Quills." She will next appear as young Iris Murdoch in the feature film story of the late novelist, "Iris."

Laura Linney received an Academy Award(R) nomination this year for her performance in Kenneth Lonergan's widely praised independent film, "You Can Count on Me," opposite Mark Ruffalo. She received Best Actress honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. Prior to this, Linney appeared in such feature films as "Primal Fear," "The Truman Show," "Absolute Power" and "The House of Mirth." She most recently completed production on "The Mothman Prophecies," which will be released in Spring 2002. Linney is a graduate of the Julliard School.

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