ALL-AMERICAN BOY

ABC’s new bosses from Capital Cities Communications have asked for a retooling of the yet-to-be-seen TV version of “Gung Ho”--in part because they consider leading man Ned Eisenberg “too ethnic-looking,” say insiders at Paramount.

Series producer Jeff Ganz said that “the buzz” about Eisenberg, taking over Michael Keaton’s role from the movie (about Japanese taking over an American auto plant), was that his “New York quality is very outstanding. And in some parts of life, New York is equated with Jewish.”

Officially, Cap Cities/ABC’s corporate heads, after viewing the first episode of the series in NYC, told the production team to find someone “a little more dynamic, physically larger, more of a powerful, individual kind of person,” like a Bill Murray or a Tom Hanks, Ganz said. (Gedde Watanabe reprises his role from the feature film).

Eisenberg, contacted at his Manhattan apartment, said that he was told by his agent that ABC wants “somebody who’s more typically American-looking. They want somebody who’s more of a direct contrast to the Japanese.”

Does that mean that ABC doesn’t consider Eisenberg--who is Jewish by birth but best known for playing Italian in Pizza Hut’s Calizza commercials--typically American?

ABC wouldn’t comment on the casting, just that the series was held back “to give it a more protected time slot when it does go on the air,” possibly midseason.