DUELING STORYLINES

While Walt Disney Productions prepares to film “Ruthless People,” with Madonna as a kidnaped Beverly Hills housewife whose hubby isn’t eager to get her back, a project based on a 1977 Elmore Leonard novel with a near-carbon-copy plot has quietly been abandoned by 20th Century Fox.

“Mickey,” based on the novel “The Switch,” is in turnaround (which means its up for grabs by other studios)--to the relief of Dale Launer, who scripted “Ruthless People.”

He said he was polishing up his script when he first heard of “Mickey.” Said Launer, “At first, I thought someone had stolen the idea from me.” He’s never read the book or the script adaptation (“I’ve avoided ‘Mickey’ like the plague”). He added, “We got the jump on them, and I’m glad. I don’t think there’s a real big market for kidnap movies where the hostage winds up liking the kidnapers.”

Leonard’s literary agent, Ben Kamsler, said he wasn’t aware of the similar properties. “If one project is subsequent to the book, well, I don’t know. . . . Let’s just say we’ll be anxious to see the first film.”

In the interim, “Mickey” is one of six Leonard projects currently optioned to studios, he said.