MOVIES - Jan. 8, 1988

For reasons that no one is talking about, Burt Lancaster has been replaced by Gregory Peck as the male lead in Jane Fonda’s new film “Old Gringo.” A Columbia Pictures spokesman confirmed the switch Thursday, but when asked about the cause, a Columbia official who requested anonymity said, “It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the matter. It is a private situation between Mr. Lancaster and Columbia Pictures.” Columbia said only that Peck has now been cast to play the role of American muckraking journalist and adventurer Ambrose Bierce and that photography for the movie would begin Jan. 18.