Tempting negotiations are under way...

Tempting negotiations are under way for Martin Scorsese to direct Molly Ringwald as a chess protege thrust into a tournament in the Soviet Union in Weintraub Ent.’s “Queen’s Gambit.” It’s to film early next year. . . . Writer Arnold Schulman is completing a political saga for Fox on the life of flamboyant politician Adam Clayton Powell. Sidney Poitier has first refusal on the role. . . . Sam Shepard, Anne Archer and Uma Thurman topline in “Hot Spot” for United Artists. An intricate thriller involving a deception that backfires, it films next month for writer-director Mike Figgis. . . .

October is the start of baseball season for Rodney Dangerfield when he becomes “The Scout” for Orion. Andrew Bergman’s screenplay--once a Peter Falk property--will be directed by Alan Myerson. He replaces Anson Williams, who’s developing “Your Mother Wears Army Boots” at Weintraub.

Sandollar Production’s “The War at Home,” on Andy Warhol creation Edie Sedgewick, is set to film in October. Linda Fiorentino plays Edie, Tom Hulce is Andy Warhol and Elias Kotias is Edie’s boyfriend, Terry Grogan (a part to which Ray Liotta was previously named). John Byrum writes/directs the Atlantic Films release for producers Howard Rosenman and Carol Baum. . . . “The Rachel Papers,” Kingsley Amis’ first novel, gets a big-screen translation in October via United Artists. Damian Harris, son of Richard, wrote the adaptation and directs the story of a young man whose romantic obsession for the title character takes a serious turn when he actually gets his dream girl. Dexter Fletcher plays the young man. Also cast in producer Andy Karsch’s film are Jonathan Pryce, Denholm Elliott and James Spader. . . .

Mimi Rogers stars in Vestron’s “Hider in the House,” to film next month for producer Edward Teets. It’s a claustrophobic thriller about the strange relationship between a woman and the title character. Matthew Patrick, who made the critically acclaimed (but little seen) fantasy “Atrapados,” directs, replacing Stuart Cornfeld. . . .